Thy Thralldom Come
by The Monday Child
Summary: Two sisters of royal blood are captured by the enemy. Their kingdom is no more. A cruel prince has taken them both for his own, tempting them into depths unexplored by good girls. Their choice is clear: lose themselves or lose their lives.
1. Undoing

**One: Undoing**

"…and that is how your honored ancestor Tsukiyomi vanquished the demon who betrayed her and established our kingdom, Higurashi, the sole human kingdom to be free of the demon race and their influence," Kaede recounted with a smile on her face as she stroked the soft hair of the smaller girl. "She became our first Queen, our first priestess, and our first warrior. She was succeeded as Queen by her firstborn daughter, who was also a powerful priestess and warrior just as her mother before her. Our Queens have defended our kingdom and protected its people from the evil demons and the few humans who have attempted to cross our borders for many generations.

"And you, Kikyo, are just like them. You are even stronger than your mother Midoriko, and she would have undoubtedly gone on to become the strongest of our Queens had her life not ended so abruptly on that battlefield, bringing our little Kagome into the world." Again, she stroked the girl's hair, though this time the young child climbed into her lap, throwing her arms around her neck and nuzzling her face into her shoulder.

Kikyo remained silent, the child possessing a serious, somber personality even at the age of ten.

"Are there any stories about princesses?" Kagome asked in her cheerful, high-pitched voice, snuggling into the elderly lesser priestess. She was only three and did not know or care how fearsome Kaede could be, and perhaps that was one of the reasons why the old woman favored her so. Not even the numerous battle scars or her missing eye could deter little Kagome when she wanted to be held and coddled.

Kaede laughed. "Yes, of course, sweet girl. But there are only love stories about foreign princesses, not stories of adventure such as our mighty Queens have."

"Might we hear one anyway?" Kikyo asked shyly, her soft voice barely loud enough to be heard.

It was enough to make the old woman look at her charge sharply, causing the girl to flinch at the stern expression. "Come along, Kagome, it's time for you to go to bed. Your sister needs to resume her training."

The tell-tale dimpling of Kagome's chin warned Kikyo in time for her to cover her ears.

" _I don't wanna_! I want to stay up and play with Kikyo! It's not fair!"

Kaede was at a loss, holding the screaming, squirming, struggling, and kicking toddler at arm's length, wondering if she should send Kikyo to fetch the laudanum. Unafraid, Kikyo grabbed one of her baby sister's flailing fists and gave her wrist a small tickle, making the girl laugh.

"If you promise to sleep now, I will make up a story to tell you tomorrow night. And we can play pretend that we're both princesses again!"

Kagome screeched wordlessly in happiness and lunged at Kikyo, giving her the biggest hug her tiny arms could manage. The little girl's nurse, summoned by the mild tantrum, carried her away and to her bedchamber, where she would probably be out like a light the moment her head touched the pillow. Kikyo smiled. Kagome was too stubborn and contrary, and that was exactly what made her so adorable.

Kaede sighed. "Were it not for that child's pretty face and occasionally charming ways, everyone would sooner jump from the castle walls than deal with her."

Kikyo merely nodded, mentally preparing herself for what was to come.

"Well," her teacher continued, "it's time we went to the meditation chamber. Will you come willingly this time, or will I have to call the guards again?"

She shook her head. "I will go."

On the way, Kaede continued staring at her. Finally, she sighed. "Fairy tales are good for Kagome, but a Queen shouldn't fill her head with nonsense like that."

Kagome's attitude must have been contagious, because Kikyo was suddenly feeling a little rebellious herself.

"Why? I like the fairy tales most of all."

The old priestess struck her wrist with the fan she carried mostly for that very purpose. "You and your sister have different paths. You are the _warrior Queen_ , Kikyo," she stressed. "You will lead our nation just as your mother before you, and her mother before her. When you turn twenty-five and come of age, the strongest men in your army will battle one another for the honor of your hand. The victor will be your General and serve to continue the bloodline as well as protect you in battle, but nothing more.

"Kagome is a great asset to the kingdom, but only as a tool, moved by those of greater minds. She need only to concern herself with being pretty, learning music, dancing, and art. When she is old enough, she will be traded to another kingdom for gold, livestock, and military aid.

"There are no princes in your story."

"I have a higher purpose." The words rang hollow since they were only a repetition of her teacher's.

She nodded. "That is correct. Even as we speak, your father is in negotiations with representatives from the kingdom of Hekigan. Their Crown Prince Hojo is only a month older than Kagome. If all goes well, she will become a queen as well, but nothing like you are, Kikyo."

"Is Hekigan far away?" the young girl asked as their footsteps echoed like heartbeats throughout the stone hallway.

"Yes, very. It is across the forests and the mountains and the plains, a prosperous island nation sitting in the very middle of the ocean."

"But I don't want Kagome to go away," she complained, faltering in her steps. "I love her more than I love Father and Mother put together. Can I not order her to stay?"

Kaede sighed. "And I'm sure the little one feels the same as you do, but your destinies are not meant to intertwine after she comes of age. Order must be preserved. Now keep your chin up, you still have many years yet before that day comes."

They reached the meditation room where she was usually trained. Generations of women in their family had gone through the same ordeal as she was in this very same room, but that thought gave her little, if any, comfort. The barren rock walls were like the rest of the castle, but here the room was tinged with fear and agony, a combined power so strong it never failed to overwhelm her, sometimes almost to the point of tears. Kaede told her she was especially sensitive to the residual power left behind in places where significant events had occurred. The first time she had set foot on a battlefield, she had fainted, overpowered by the misery and hatred and rage that lingered in the very earth, a curse transmitted through the shed blood of the conquered. Since that day she had improved a great deal, thanks in no small part to her priestess exercises, but she doubted she would ever be completely unaffected.

Since she was Kagome's age, she had been training. Sometimes she wanted to run away, far from the castle and her duties, but thoughts of Kagome had always stopped her. Who would protect her and the rest of their people if their Queen abandoned them? Life had been colorless before her mother had given her a sister, and so great a gift was more than enough to soothe the pain of Midoriko's passing. Kikyo had hardly ever seen the woman, as she was always out battling this tribe or that clan to protect Higurashi, but she loved her like one would love a goddess.

Her father inspired similar feelings in her. Though he was present far more often, it was usually only to restock supplies and ensure things were going well with her training before rejoining Midoriko. Now that his wife had passed, he temporarily ruled the kingdom in place of Kikyo and his duties consisted more of politics than war. She felt at times that he resented her for it. Kaede told her he would still be the most powerful warrior in their kingdom, a title he had worked hard his entire life to achieve, if only he were free to fight again. He was a doer, not a thinker. Once her training was complete, she would be crowned and presented with the sword of her ancestors, and maybe then her father would be happy.

Kneeling down as was customary, she took a deep breath. "I am ready," Kikyo said softly, her mind temporarily cleared of her troubles.

Kaede's eye was stern. "You will not be allowed any form of rest until you can create a barrier around this wing of the stronghold for an entire hour. My fellow lesser priestesses are stationed in order to observe the quality of your barrier as well as make sure you complete your task. Should you fail, you will be punished."

Kikyo nodded, took a deep breath, focused, and set to work. Immediately, the room filled with a bright silver-blue glow. At first blinding in its intensity, it faded as it continued expanding until its brilliance was little more than a faint pearlescent shimmer illuminating everything around them. The longest she had ever managed to hold a barrier of this size was twenty minutes. Her teacher's threat of punishment made her heart beat faster and forced her to strive for the ordered goal. After just fifteen minutes, she was sweating so much that her clothing was soaked through, clinging to her back and legs.

At twenty minutes Kikyo's knees began to hurt. She welcomed the pain. Pain made Queens great. Pain made them wise. Pain made them strong. It was the pain they endured for the sake of their people that made them fit to rule even more so than the powers the gods had blessed them with. She dug her short fingernails into her thighs with enough force to cause bruising. Biting her lip also helped her concentrate and she stopped only when she tasted blood.

The barrier was becoming more difficult to maintain as the minutes ticked by. At forty minutes, she almost lost her hold on it. Kikyo panicked inside, having no wish to experience Kaede's harsh punishments yet again. Desperately, she turned her thoughts to Kagome and her father. The General would be so pleased with her once she completed her training and he was able to go out and fight alongside his people once more. Feeling her control over the barrier growing, she turned her focus to her sister, her thoughts reflecting on her future. When she was crowned as Queen, maybe she could order Kagome to stay with her, no matter what Kaede said. The Queen spoke the law, after all. Had any of the other Queens been in a situation like hers? She wished there was a book on their personal matters, but all she had found in the library were volumes upon volumes of the battles won during each Queen's reign. If only her mother were still alive, then she would not have to worry about any of this. She wouldn't be so timid in front of her father and she could play with Kagome whenever she wanted to, making snowmen and telling stories…

Her face exploded in pain and she cried out as the barrier collapsed.

"Fifty-seven minutes," Kaede said, her face set hard in disappointment. Again, she struck the young girl's face with the closed wooden fan, slicing her skin. "You were so close, Kikyo."

"W-What—"

A few more thwacks with the fan had her in tears. She knew better than to cry. It only ever earned her a worse punishment rather than anything even remotely resembling mercy. But she couldn't help it. It wasn't like she wanted to be so weak. The salt from her tears burned the small slits and cuts crisscrossing her face and she tried to stop only to have them falling faster, mingling with the drops of blood and staining her white training clothes with splotches of pink. Even she was punishing herself for her failure.

"A Queen cannot afford to rest when her kingdom needs protection from invaders. If a horde of demons had been outside the castle gates, we would have been overrun in minutes. That's how long it takes, Kikyo. Only minutes."

"I'm sorry, Kaede, I-I'll—"

The hardest blow yet, this one against her sensitive and already cut lips, sent her reeling back.

"You will learn to go without sleep for the sake of your kingdom."

Kaede grabbed her by her long braid and dunked her head into a tub of ice water she'd had brought in sometime during her barrier training. Kikyo tried to struggle, but the old woman was too strong, muscles still powerful from years of war and fighting retained their strength even this late in her life. When she thought her lungs were about to burst, Kaede yanked her out of the water. She only had time to take in a single gasp of air before her head was thrust back inside the tub, this time so hard that her face hit the bottom. Warmth gushed from her nose and told her she was now bleeding. She screamed under the water, wasting her precious breath. Just when she thought she couldn't take it anymore and she was going to suck in water, again she was pulled back.

"Please, Kaede, you're going to kill me!" she sobbed.

The priestess did not even hesitate. Kikyo was forced back under the water, this time without having taken a breath. She did not struggle. What was the point? Queens had always been trained this way. Their weakness was cut out from them like an infection, scraping the pus away until all that remained was salvageable, healthy flesh, even if the surgeon had to dig to the bone and beyond to get to it. Kaede was only doing her duty, making her into a true Queen, not just a child with a title.

Yet none of that stopped the feelings of powerlessness and despair that rose inside her.

Kikyo's rage mingled with the residual rage left over by her ancestors and called out to it, invited it in. Barely aware of what was going on, she let herself be invaded by the foreign entity, making their power her own. An intoxicating strength lit up like a sun inside her solar plexus and, on the verge of passing out, she released it. Suddenly, the stinging in her scalp and the pressure holding her prisoner were both gone and she lurched out of the tub, knocking it over and spilling the icy cold water across the floor. Water was in her throat and she coughed and vomited, expelling it along with the feelings that freed her. She was seeing spots, so she blinked rapidly, taking in huge gulps of air, panting for breath as her mind had yet to fully absorb the fact that she was alive.

Her teacher lay a few feet away from her, left arm at a crooked angle, blood trickling from her scalp, and a large smile on her face.

"Kaede…" was all she said, confused. The ice water had done a good job of numbing the wounds on her face, but it still hurt her lips to form words.

"It took your mother five more years of training before she threw me off. She was the one who took my eye, you know."

"I'm sorry," she whispered, exhausted. She wanted to cry but she could not.

"Don't be, my lady." Kaede struggled to her feet, gingerly holding her broken arm. "Now you are truly a Queen."

 **O\o/O**

Kikyo rubbed her eyes, wondering why her mind chose now of all times to reflect on the past. Fifteen years had gone by since she had been crowned in that midnight ceremony, the youngest Queen to ever ascend to the throne. Her father had been delighted and soon returned to his old station, winning many battles for them, taking no prisoners as was their tradition. He had been so successful a General and warrior that for years she had not been necessary on the field, but when she was fifteen his strength had momentarily faltered and his opponents crippled him. That he survived at all was a testament to his strength, though his shame from being beaten almost killed him. Now he was back at running the domestic politics of their kingdom while she led the troops.

Everything had been going so well until six months ago, when the Inu Empire attacked. The war was not going in her favor and hadn't from the start. They were greatly outnumbered, their opponents had better weapons, and worst yet the legions they fought were primarily demons, possessing far greater strength, speed, experience, ruthlessness, and cunning. All her learning and skill had been already applied and she saw no way out, no path to victory. Her men were already calling her the Queen of Retreats. If things continued the same, the kingdom would surely fall.

This war was nothing like the kingdom of Higurashi had ever experienced since Tsukiyomi had conquered and eradicated invading demonic forces five-hundred years ago. Three-hundred years ago, Queen Hitomiko had been one of the first signers of the human-demon treaty, the very one that the still reigning Inu no Taisho Toga himself had signed, swearing peace with her people and humans the world over. Why now? Why break the treaty and lay siege to her small quasi-isolationist kingdom? Humans in this corner of the world were always fighting amongst themselves and the demons never interfered or showed any interest. She didn't think they even noticed their existence, too busy in their far-off lands to the West and living lavishly in their palaces in the sky. But for the past few years the Inu Empire had been expanding, rapidly so. Knowing they had long been in the practice of taking slaves from among their conquered lands, both human and demon, she worried intensely over the fate of her people.

Their magic was powerful and different from anything she'd ever seen before, and their strength was frightening even to someone as experienced in war as herself. Maybe she could take them on if she had an army of priestesses, but priestesses were rare and none were as powerful as she was. The lesser priestesses served as the kingdom's last defense, but she knew if it came to that then they were already as good as beaten. Kikyo, like the Queens before her, was used to battling humans. She was also used to winning. But with these enemies it was all she could do to keep them from slaughtering her men. There was no victory, her focus was not on how to minimize the time a battle lasted, but rather how to minimize their losses and prolong their struggle as long as possible.

Pushing away the negativity, Kikyo rubbed her eyes again and studied the maps in front of her. It wouldn't do to think about things like that. She needed her wits about her, to concentrate, to pore over the maps and ancient tomes searching for a way to defeat her enemy. True, she had not slept for more than two days, but she was fairly used to that. If they were going to win a war against demons, they had to fight like demons, and demons did not take time off to sleep.

Neither did Queens.

"Some tea, my Queen?" came a soft voice from outside her closed tent.

Quickly, she pushed the maps she had carefully gathered from the royal library to the side of the table, not caring when some fell to the floor. It was uncharacteristic of her to be anything but completely and totally organized, but the person that voice belonged to always made her act in strange ways.

"Come in!" She tried not to sound too eager and failed, just as she always did.

Suikotsu, her personal physician, smiled at her as he entered, just as exhausted as she was. He always stayed up in solidarity with her no matter what. Maybe he knew it made her sleep more often because she did not like to see him suffer. Her cheeks colored at the thought of him noticing her tender feelings. He handed her a cup of tea and she shyly accepted it, keeping her eyes on the steam coming from the hot drink, very visible in the cold winter air. His hand grazed hers and she felt her heart skip a beat before pounding out of control.

"I called out twice before you heard me. You must have been very lost in your thoughts."

It was very unusual for her not to immediately respond, so she understood his concern.

"I was just thinking of my training as a child."

Suikotsu shook his head, the corners of his mouth turning down. "The brutality you experienced still makes me sick. I was there many times when my father treated your wounds. That was my own training, I guess you could say."

"It prepared me for times like this, so I cannot be anything but grateful to Kaede."

"Would… Do you mind if I check your shoulder wound, my Queen? Or shall I come back later."

Holding her breath, she nodded, untying and opening her robe as she did so. In her nervousness, her hands revealed too much and she exposed one of her pale breasts. The look on Suikotsu's face was the only thing that stopped her from immediately covering herself again. Several times she had caught him staring at her, but never did she even dream he would find her body attractive. She was covered in scars and more muscular than most women. Her breasts were on the smaller side and she was far too tall to be considered feminine. Her father had once told her she had very symmetrical facial features, but she was still unsure to this very day whether that was something she should be proud of. But the way Suikotsu was looking at her made her feel not like a battle-worn soldier, but instead a woman.

A very desirable woman.

His hands, gentle and beautifully shaped, shakily reached out towards her. Her nipples hardened as just the tips of his fingers grazed the top of her breast, right where the swell began, but then he was unwrapping her shoulder bandage, all business. Dazed, stomach still churning with an unfamiliar longing, she wondered if she had imagined it all.

As he examined, cleaned, and redressed her wound, she removed herself from the pain by thinking of the man before her. Though she'd been aware of Suikotsu's existence all her life, he had only become more than just the doctor's son to her when she began to go to war. His father had died abruptly of a heart attack and so he too was thrust almost unprepared into a role he was unsure he even wanted to fill. Since he was the royal physician and she was always sustaining some sort of injury, they became close. He'd tell her funny stories as he treated her and made her feel human, the warmth he brought her second only to that of her younger sister. Almost immediately she began to feel things for him that she knew were forbidden.

No matter how much she wished it were not so, there was no chance that they could ever be together. In order to ensure a strong bloodline, she would have to marry her strongest warrior, and he would become the father of her children, her General, and her second in command. Suikotsu, however, had never even held a sword in his life. The very sight of blood made him feel faint, but his soul was so pure that he persevered and ignored his own discomfort in order to save lives, whether the wounded be friend or foe. It was that strength of his that she admired. None of the muscular, posturing warriors were as strong as he. None of them would ever talk to her about books and fanciful things. None of them filled her every waking thought and beautiful dream. Yet one of them would become her husband.

"All done. Looks like another sleepless night for the both of us, my Queen." His smile was warm and free of resentment.

Dawn was beginning to show through the small opening in her tent flaps.

"Please stay in my tent and sleep, Suikotsu. You cannot possibly do your work when this tired."

He merely shook his head, smile still in place. "I swore to obey your every order, and I would regardless of your status, but I cannot follow a command that keeps me from my duty."

Kikyo sighed but smiled back. She hadn't expected any different. That purity of heart, that fortitude, that devotion was what she loved most about him, after all.

"Stay near me, then. At least allow me to protect you."

The royal physician nodded. He seemed to want to say something, but then her page boy arrived and it was time for her to get ready for another day of hell. To give her privacy, Suikotsu retreated outside the tent.

First, she pinned her braid into a crown with tiny wooden combs intricately carved with birds and vines. Many Queens before her had simply cut it all off, but her one traditionally feminine feature was her beautiful, shining waterfall of raven hair, and she allowed herself this single vanity. Shrugging out of her cotton robe, she pulled on her trousers and undershirt. Her feet were slightly swollen from lack of sleep and standing too long, but she forced her sturdy leather boots on regardless. The page boy strapped on thick padding to her arms, legs, torso, and neck. Then came her armor. It was hot, heavy, and suffocating, though flashily made of pure gold, spun so fine and enchanted so that it was not as weighty as it should have been yet triple-enforced. When she'd first worn it, she'd had a panic attack, but after Kaede made her wear it for a week straight she no longer had a problem. Many minutes passed while the boy struggled to get it all in place. Finally, it was time to don her helmet. Gold to match the rest of her battle wear, it was padded inside and completely covered her face, leaving only a small slit for her eyes and several little breathing holes near her nose and mouth.

Moving was always difficult in the suit at first, but the sounds of slaughter reached her and suddenly the armor felt light as a feather. Suikotsu was already out there, tending to the wounded and dying, helping those he could and couldn't. He needed her to protect him.

Keeping an eye on where he was removing the first of several arrows from a dog demon's stomach, she almost effortlessly wielded the sword of her ancestors, killing all those foolish enough to come near her, imbuing her purifying powers into her weapon whenever she encountered demons. If only she had more soldiers with the same abilities, the war would have been over in a month. Her actions became repetitious. Dodge, parry, stab, slice, move on. Dodge, parry, stab, slice, move on. Becoming bored, her thoughts turned to Kagome.

The princess was safe and sound behind the walls of the castle, far away from the death, indignity, and horrors that surrounded the Queen. Against the recommendations of her advisors, she'd left her strongest and most trusted warriors to guard the palace, more specifically Kagome. They'd protested, but that had ended quickly enough. She was their Queen. She spoke the law. Her warriors did not protest once that had been made clear and she knew they'd go above and beyond to do their job. After all, she was just a month away from her twenty-fifth birthday. One of them would win the tournament and become her husband. It wouldn't be wise to earn her wrath now and have to share a bed with her in a matter of weeks. She trusted them to protect Kagome, the jewel of the kingdom. If something happened to her, Kikyo didn't know if she could go on.

Besides, her sister wasn't the only royal who required protection.

Kagome's betrothed had insisted on remaining with her even though he was of even less use in a fight than the princess, coming all the long way from Hekigan to "protect" her. Kikyo had allowed it without feeling too annoyed since he'd brought them some much needed supplies and scores of soldiers. And if by some miracle they did manage to survive and emerge victorious, it would serve her well to stay in the young prince's good graces, for it would make convincing him to remain in Higurashi after his and Kagome's marriage all the easier. Everyone knew the Crown Prince wasn't made for ruling, and if he stepped down and let the throne go to one of his younger siblings, she would promise him any comfort possible in her kingdom.

When she thought about it later, she still wouldn't know what it was that compelled her to abruptly stop fighting her opponent and instead turn around, searching the area where she'd last seen Suikotsu. He was far from where he had been earlier, attempting to save, of all people, her little page boy, whom even she could see was not going to make it. Enemy soldiers were descending from the hill, fresh reinforcements from the clean and eager look of them, mere yards away from where he was absorbed in saving a life. One of them was closer than the others, glee on his face as he raised his frighteningly large sword to strike. Dashing towards her physician, she shrieked a wordless warning, terror in her bones. Just in time to save his own precious life, she made it to his side, striking a blow so powerful that it pierced the dog demon's armor and flesh both with the ease of tearing through wet paper. He howled as she purified him and she didn't stop until she could smell the stench of his burning, smoking corpse.

Now she was surrounded. Her men were fighting as well as they could, but as she had noted before, they did not have the numbers and many no longer had the will. Kikyo called on the power of the former Queens and released a purifying wave. It cleared out all the enemies near her and Suikotsu, but it seemed as though for every soldier she struck down, two more suddenly appeared in his place. Soon, even she was overwhelmed. The lack of sleep, the stress from fighting six solid months without reprieve, and the agony of the man she loved being in danger became so apparent that they were almost physical wounds, piercing her heart straight through.

Out of breath, Kikyo nearly fell to her knees, catching herself at the last moment. No, a Queen would always go out fighting. Her own mother had the very sword she now carried in hand when she had given birth to Kagome, right there on the battlefield, slashing and stabbing at the calves of the enemies while her soldiers took the rest of their bodies on. Kikyo was a Queen. Even if she had never felt like one in life, she swore she would die like one.

Her momentary weakness had not gone unnoticed.

A sick grin twisted the face of the dog demon warrior nearest her. So arrogant he did not even wear armor, he twirled his twin swords, flashily going in for the kill. Angered by the display, Kikyo raised her sword, just a fraction too late. The demon's blades pierced flesh, all the way through to the other side.

She screamed.

" _Suikotsu!_ "

The rage she felt at seeing the beautiful man impaled shook the very earth and stones around her. The familiar pearlescent silver-blue light exploded out from her and disintegrated every demon soldier in the vicinity. Finally allowing herself to drop, she hovered over him, wanting to touch him but not knowing if she'd only make it worse. Kikyo wanted to take her armor off, to see and hear him properly, but she couldn't, her hands were shaking so badly.

"Kikyo," he whispered, and somehow she could hear him even over the noise that seemed to overtake the entire earth.

"Why? Why did you jump in front of me? I could have— I was—" She was crying for the first time since her coronation. Kikyo knew there was no way she could have deflected the blow, but damn it, _why_!?

"Kikyo," he said again, a smile on his pale lips. "I wish I could see your face. Touch your hair."

She was glad he couldn't see her. Her face was covered in tears, dripping in weakness. She was supposed to protect him, and she failed.

"I'm sorry. Oh, Suikotsu, we need to get you home…"

"Run. You know there's no use fighting them. Run and live, Kikyo."

Suikotsu gave up the ghost, having saved one last life, the life most precious to him.

For the first time since she solidified her status as Queen and killed a man, Kikyo obeyed the orders of another. She scrambled to her feet, her usual practiced grace nowhere to be found. If this were another war, another enemy, she would have called soldiers to her and retreated, giving Suikotsu a proper burial and mourning him for the required time. But she couldn't. Heartbroken, she shed her armor as she ran, grateful it was much easier to take off than to put on. When she was halfway back to the castle, she realized that had been the first and last time Suikotsu had called her by her name.

 **O\o/O**

"My princess

I must confess

You stole my breath

The first time we met

And every time yet

Because you are the best

Please put my heart at rest…"

Hojo continued with his poorly written poem. It was a struggle for Kagome to keep the proper, demure smile on her face, but she did so, idly wondering how he'd react if she attempted to do what she really wanted to do and slammed his head straight through the stone wall. Sighing internally, she wondered when Kikyo would return. Never before had she been gone for so long. Usually it was a month, two at most, and then she'd be back home and telling her stories about the battles and her stupid soldiers. Even though Kikyo had been gone for half a year now, Kagome didn't worry, completely and totally confident in her older sister, in her Queen.

"You can brush my hair now, Hojo."

Anything to get him to shut up.

Like an eager puppy, he tripped over his own feet to get to her, standing behind her chair and taking the jewel-inlaid boar's hair brush. With extreme caution, he began at the ends, working his way up. It was nice. At least he was good for one thing.

Normally, she wasn't such a brat. At least she tried not to be. But it was kind of fun making a prince from a kingdom larger and allegedly more powerful (though she thought that to be ludicrous because they didn't have Kikyo) than her own act like a lady's handmaiden.

"Have you given any thought to the wedding date yet?" he asked, his nerves showing in his voice.

"I'm only eighteen, Hojo," she responded, trying to get some dirt out from under her nail. Maybe she could get her fiancé to do it after he finished with her hair. "Seven more years, remember? It's tradition."

"But we can still talk about it, right?"

No, she thought, but instead she just shrugged. "Why bother? It's seven whole years away. We don't even know what will be fashionable then."

"I'd like to have it in my mother's chapel," he said dreamily, his words distracting him from his task as he brushed the same length of hair over and over and over. "My family's traditional colors are dark blue, light blue, and gold, but your family's colors don't match. At least I don't think red and blue match. I'll have to ask Mother. And we can have Mother sing at the wedding, and my cousin will accompany her on the flute, and—"

Kagome instantly had a headache. "Wanna practice kissing?" she chirped.

He dropped the brush, face going an inhuman shade of red. "Wuh-wuh-wuh, Ka-Kagome, I-I-I—"

"That's enough, Princess." Kaede's grumpy voice came from her post by the window.

Kagome pouted and crossed her arms, bored again. "I want to go and see Kikyo. I hate being cooped up like this!"

The old priestess laughed, but it soon turned into a ragged cough. "You would not be able to withstand even a glimpse of the horrors of the battlefield."

"But Kikyo does it every day! I just want to do it once, just _once_. Don't you think she'd be happy to see me? I know _I_ love surprises."

"But Kagome," Hojo protested, "your beautiful skin would be destroyed in the sun, and your hair would be lightened and damaged. Here, let me read you another poem…"

Even Kaede rolled her eye this time.

"Crown Prince, the hour of your nap has arrived," one of Hojo's constant guards announced.

"No wonder I'm so exhausted!" Hojo yawned. "I can't wait for our marriage, Kagome. Then we can have naptime together."

The Crown Prince of Hekigan and his entourage retreated to a separate chamber.

Kagome shuddered. "Why did Father think this boy and I should get married? Are you sure he's met him?"

"It is a good alliance. The kingdom is powerful and wealthy beyond any of the other human kingdoms, despite their rather… _strange_ royals."

"But the demons are even wealthier, right?" she sighed. "I wonder what that's like."

The door bursting open stopped any reply Kaede may have had. One of the guards closest to the now splintered doorframe was run through with a spear before he could even react. The rest began to fight as the demon soldiers began to pour in, their battle cries ringing in the small room. Kaede rushed to the door, brandishing her cane before her like a weapon, ready and more than able to slay any demon who underestimated her. Kagome's eyes went wide and she wrapped her arms around herself at what she was seeing. What was she going to do? There was only one way out and it was a bloody mess. The window was too high to jump from. Should she hide?

A spray of red erupted into the room, all the way across and over to her, splattering across her face and new dress. Another spray. A demon had been stabbed through the heart and was dying, shooting jets of thick blood with every rapidly failing beat. Just when she was about to scream, a familiar face appeared before her. Kikyo made several motions with her hand that Kagome couldn't understand, but the soldiers and Kaede simply nodded and marched off determinedly without a word.

"We need to run to your chambers, Kagome, and you need to be very quiet, do you understand?" she hissed, eyes large and straining.

She shivered. "Y-yes."

"Good girl."

Kikyo grabbed her by the hand and tugged her along, going at a speed the princess was unaccustomed to. Still, Kagome tried her best to stumble along, wishing both hands were free so she could hold them over her ears and attempt to block out the screams and cries among the clashing of metal. It wasn't too long before they arrived at their destination, and thankfully that portion of the castle was as of yet empty of the enemy hordes. Locking the door behind them and sliding the large iron bar lock in place, Kikyo wasted no time in pulling off Kagome's clothes. The younger girl was too scared and shocked to protest and just let her continue doing it, first her beautiful lavender dress, then her silken white chemise, before going so far as the cut through her breast bindings, stripping her until she was completely naked. Opening a leather pack she hadn't seen before, Kikyo thrust a rough woolen dress into her arms. Kagome noticed her sister's hands were covered in what looked like ink, but had no time to dwell on it, shaken as she was from what she'd just seen.

"Here. Put it on. And hurry."

Kagome recognized the gray dress from Kikyo's private "peasant collection". Sometimes the Queen liked to walk out among the people as one of them without drawing any attention or notice to herself. She had always wanted to tag along, but each time Kikyo made up new reasons why she shouldn't go. The latest one had been that princesses weren't allowed to leave their castles until they got married, and then they couldn't leave their husband's castle. It all seemed so incredibly unfair.

Once she and Kikyo were both dressed in what Kagome had always thought of as poor people clothes, the older girl handed her another leather pack.

"Three minutes. Bring everything you will need. We're going on the run."

Adrenaline rushing through her, Kagome quickly stuffed everything she thought she'd need into her bag while Kikyo kept lookout. When she was done, she tapped the Queen on the shoulder, who jumped, startled. The girl felt bad for not considering how tightly wound Kikyo must have been from her many months spent fighting. Again, she experienced being dragged by the hand through the familiar castle which had quickly become an unrecognizable battlefield. Kikyo kept a slower pace this time, being more cautious, for which Kagome was grateful. Her heavy bag was weighing her down.

They ran into trouble almost immediately.

Kagome hadn't even noticed the armored man coming towards them, so intent she was on looking at her feet and making sure she didn't trip in the clunky wooden shoes she was unaccustomed to wearing. One minute she was counting her steps and the next she was watching Kikyo pull her sword from out of nowhere and aim it at her. She opened her mouth to ask what was going on when suddenly Kikyo swung at her. Shrieking, she ducked, and out of the corner of her eye saw a dog demon sliced down to his bowels by her sister's sword. He'd been trying to sneak up on them and do gods knew what, but thankfully Kikyo was smarter than he was. She barely had time to take a relieved breath before they were running again.

To her surprise, instead of going towards one of the gates, Kikyo led her down a servants' flight of stairs, going further and further into the deep dark underbelly of the stronghold until they were in the vast underground storeroom, where they stopped. With steady hands, Kikyo grabbed a large jar of cooking oil. The muted silence in the room bothered her when she knew what was going on just above their heads.

"Kikyo, what are we going to do?" she whispered. She longed to hug her sister but knew it was not the time.

"The invaders have presented us with only two options: death or capture. And you know what happens to captured women, especially those with status."

Kagome shuddered. "Can't we just run?"

She shook her head. "Higurashi has fallen. The demons will ensure none escape. I am not certain of how greatly they outnumber us, but I would not be surprised if it was a hundred to one. Even if we were able to slip past the battle lines, they would send trackers into the forests soon enough. These infernal dogs have a very strong sense of smell."

Kagome began to tremble. "Is it hopeless, then? Do we… Do I use the dagger Kaede gave me?" If the kingdom should ever be overtaken, daggers were passed down to any females among the nobility. Suicide was the only honorable way for a woman to die once the enemy had won. It had never happened in their history, but the wise ones who came before them knew that didn't mean it never would, and so they instituted this tradition.

"My life was saved at the expense of another's today, Kagome, and I swore to myself I would save yours as well. We two have a responsibility to continue living. If I did not believe in us and our people, I would hand you a sword and tell you to go out fighting." Kikyo's face glowed from within, lit by a holy fire, and she had never looked more like a Queen. To the little princess, she was nothing less than a goddess.

Willing the tears away, Kagome nodded and squared her shoulders. "I'll do whatever it takes to be worthy of your rescue. You command and I will obey."

 **O\o/O**

Inuyasha, second son of the Inu no Taisho and second in line to the throne, lazily strolled through the Higurashi stronghold. Compared to what he was used to, it was just a decrepit pile of rocks held together by stubbornness and that bitch queen's magic. One of her unwashed warriors ran at him swinging a colossal battle axe. He would have been impressed had he not seen ten others like him just that morning. Growling in annoyance, he muttered some words under his breath and light appeared from his fingertips, slashing the man's face clean off.

"Fuck, how are some of them still alive? Where the hell are they coming from?"

His companion easily swung her massive boomerang down the hall, clearing it of demons and humans alike, uncaring of who sided with them and who didn't. It returned to her and she caught it without breaking her stride.

"It appears that some of their best warriors were kept behind in the castle. Perhaps they were guarding some great treasure?"

He snorted. "Nah, they're probably too fucking dumb to formulate a proper strategy."

Inuyasha was not in a good mood.

In the five years since he'd begun proving his worth to his father and conquering more lands to bring him tribute, expanding the empire and improving the lives of both those back home and in the new territories, he'd not had a campaign this mind-numbingly tedious. What took just days with other human kingdoms, a few weeks at the most, had taken half a goddamn year in stupid fucking Higurashi, the joke of the developed world. Months had been spent fighting in a war of attrition with these idiot human barbarians who smelled like shit. Months spent living in a fucking freezing tent. Months sleeping on the ground like the aforementioned stupid human barbarians. Months of being forced to eat the crap they served those of the military, from the infantrymen to the Generals. No one got special treatment, not even the prince.

The humans smelled like shit, there was no disputing that, but their entire stupid kingdom smelled like it was _made_ of shit, and he was somehow always downwind of it. In addition to those less than ideal circumstances, his brother, the future Emperor, the one who'd inherit the result of all Inuyasha's hard work, kept sending him taunts disguised as missives, letter after letter offering assistance because the campaign was taking him, as he put it, "so damnably long".

But what pissed him off the most, even more than all that nearly unbearable crap, was how he hadn't fucked since he'd left the palace. Six whole months without any pussy was driving him insane. Of course Sango chose that very moment to walk in front of him, her skintight leather outfit hugging her every curve and crevice, enhancing them for his viewing pleasure (and torture). His groin ached at the sight and it was everything he could do not to pull her aside and bend her over.

Sango Taijiya was his "shadow" and had been since they were fifteen. In the world outside Higurashi and the other tiny human kingdoms, demons were the dominant species. Sango's clan were traditionally demon slayers, but centuries ago had sworn allegiance to his father's bloodline. Humans outside the Taijiya lived reasonably comfortable lives in demon territory, like his mother, who had been a princess in one of their minor territories before marrying and mating his father. Most of the people they'd conquered had thanked him and his troops after just a short while, once they helped in rebuilding and overseeing them. Their governments not only ran much more efficiently under Inu rule, but were more prosperous thanks to the massive trading opportunities that were then opened to them.

But these Higurashi barbarians were different from regular humans. Not only did their military fight, but the peasants took up arms and fought too. Then there were the freaks known as "priestesses" who expelled a strange power that was capable of turning demons to ash in an instant. He'd seen their bitch of a queen murder his men on more than one occasion on the battlefield, her face concealed by her masked helmet, hidden like a coward. Once he got his hands on her, he'd make her wish she'd never been born.

Once again he was distracted from his thoughts by the sway of Sango's ample backside. Her athletic body was slim, muscled, and fit. All except for her rear, which was thick and luscious. Her breasts were on the smaller side, but with an ass like that it didn't even matter. It was she that had formed his preference in women, all his subsequent conquests bearing a resemblance to her as a result. Now with his mind firmly stuck in the gutter on thoughts of hot sex, Inuyasha tried and failed to recall the last time he and Sango had been intimate. When outside his bedchambers of the palace, it was crucial that they abstain from any sort of sexual contact. Not only was it forbidden for him to take a common unranked non-slave to his bed, but Sango was a slayer. In her clan, a woman who was an active slayer was sworn to virginity. Once a woman was deflowered, it was believed that she became wanton and easily distracted, which Inuyasha thought might have some truth to it, at least in her case, though it seemed more often than not it was he who was distracted, and most certainly wanton.

They'd been in their teens when they'd broken that particular taboo, giving their virginities to one another, and he hadn't thought then of the consequences she could possibly face. If they were discovered by the wrong people, almost nothing would happen to him except for perhaps a sternly worded letter from his father, but the punishment for Sango would have been death by beheading. He knew she loved him and that was why she risked it all to be with him. Inuyasha was incredibly grateful to have her at his side as a constant presence and was awed by her each and every day as she continued to prove herself to him as well as everyone else.

Now bored, annoyed, and sexually frustrated anew, he idly observed his surroundings. The hall they were walking through seemingly went on forever. Here and there appeared marble statues, pure white and flawless. All of them were of seemingly virginal women, not that he was surprised, considering these particular barbarians had a matriarchy. Despite their backwoods ways, he had no choice but to admit he had never seen such perfect works of art. At first he had thought it was plaster poured over humans, but that proved false on closer inspection. No living person had such perfect proportions. He'd heard of the beautiful women of Higurashi before, but he assumed it to be nonsense and rumors, or even some joke. Inuyasha was proved right when they arrived in the kingdom and found the great majority of women and men were nearly indistinguishable from each other in their hulking muscular appearances.

But these flawless marble statues were of a kind of woman he had never laid eyes on before. Breasts high, firm, and large, like unripe melon halves, with nipples erect. Beautiful faces with pouty lips. Long, flowing hair that waved and seemed to defy the very material it was carved from. The excruciating ache in his groin was strong enough that he wanted to reach out and touch one, wanted it to come alive. He'd certainly haul them back to his wing of the palace once they were done killing the bitch queen and her father the king.

Another thought flashed across his mind, a reminder that such works of art were made by hand. Perhaps those responsible for carving these statues should be taken back to the capital rather than left behind. After all, their talents and skills were wasted here if they had to make up imaginary individuals as subjects for their art, and he was sure that such skilled craftsmen would be a welcome first tribute to his parents from this latest conquest. That, and he was still struggling with just what to present his mother for her and his father's anniversary. He filed the thought away for later. Now it was time to enjoy his hard-earned victory and revel in the moment he'd been looking forward to for over half a year.

The massive wooden doors with gold inlay signaled they had arrived at their destination. The throne room. His soldiers had informed him that the queen had run off once she realized her imminent defeat, cowardly leaving her army behind to fend for themselves. It was very likely she was conferring with her counselors and king in the very room he was about to enter, so he prepared himself, brushing imaginary dirt from his red fire rat fur cape, inspecting his immaculate white tunic and matching trousers, wanting to make an impressive entrance. Taking a deep breath to calm his anger, he nodded at Sango and together they destroyed the door, him with a kick and she with her weapon.

Brandishing his sword before him, he growled, the sound loud and menacing as it echoed throughout the room.

"Come out and show yourself, you fucking cunt! The sooner you do, the less pain you'll be in."

Sango rolled her eyes. "Inuyasha, take a look around you."

The throne room was barren, all but for one hunched over form surrounded by a dark puddle in front of the large wooden throne. A man lay on the ground, having run himself through with his sword no more than an hour before, from the smell of him. The quality of his garments and the rather plain diadem signaled that he was the very man he was looking for. Angered and disgusted, he kicked the body of the one-legged man across the room. After all this time, all the effort and the suffering and the fighting, the man he was hoping to take some of his frustrations out on was dead by his own hand. What a fucking joke. The entire Higurashi royal family was now forever branded as a bunch of worthless cowards as far as he was concerned.

"Before you continue desecrating that corpse, remember our true objective. The queen must be recovered. Our sources also indicate there is a princess as well, and she could be useful."

He snorted. "The young thing engaged to one of the inbred Hekigan idiots? Useful, my ass."

"Regardless, we should search for them as they are more than likely holed up somewhere here in the castle with their waiting women."

"Did our informants give us any names to work with, or are these barbarians not familiar with the concept? We're gonna need something to put on the tombstones." Provided, of course, he didn't lose his temper and there was not enough left of the royal women to bury.

"It wouldn't be in our best interests to kill them and you know it," she responded, calmly walking out a different door than the one they'd come in through, letting her senses guide her to where they felt the women would be. "The royal family here is different from others. Their names are known only to their close blood relatives, most trusted associates, and social equals. In their tradition, names give those who know them power over them, so they are known to most by only their titles. It's actually quite interesting."

"Too complicated, if you ask me. That's why women shouldn't be involved in important shit. They just fuck it all up." Transforming Tessaiga back into its less impressive form, he returned it to its scabbard, tapping it agitatedly against his thigh.

The slayer was too used to him to be upset by his remarks. He was just angry and venting, so she easily forgave him, as she always did. Truth be told, she was feeling much the same as he was in every respect, the difference being part of her job was to temper him.

Every room they came to was empty and ransacked. Evidently, the soldiers had followed their queen in her final retreat and had helped themselves to quite a bit of the castle's goods while they were at it. They probably hadn't been paid since the war started, so they were welcome to it as far as he was concerned. The only things of value in the entire place were the statues. Well, the queen and the princess as well, but he had to find the bitches first, and he cared less and less about their treatment the longer it took. At the beginning, he would have taken them alive, maybe roughed them up only a little just to make it clear who was in charge, but now he wanted blood.

"I think this might be the king's chambers," Sango announced, slamming the corner of her Hiraikotsu into the head of an enemy that thought he could sneak up on her.

"How d'ya know? It's the same as every other room, just a little bigger."

"Look at that." She pointed to a giant portrait that took up almost the entirety of one wall. The majority of it was smeared with ink, staining the canvas and obscuring the faces. It also looked to have been slashed with a sword several times in key places. Information on the Higurashi royal family and the realm's culture in general was scarce since they were borderline fanatics about keeping to themselves, so the painting would have been a huge help. Judging by what was left undamaged of the picture, the queen was a young woman, somewhat slight, while her father, the king, was a bear-like man with a beard. The princess was a child in a poofy pink dress of the kind that seemed to be fashionable among the upper classes in Higurashi. However, Sango noticed that the king had both his legs in the portrait, so there was no telling when it had been painted. They still had no idea what the two women they were searching for looked like.

Turning to discuss what the obscuration of the painting could mean, the slayer noticed her prince was missing, no longer where he'd been just moments before. Movement out of the corner of her eye notified her of his new location, and she looked at him fully only to immediately blush.

Reclining on the large though still somewhat rustic-looking four poster bed was Inuyasha. The heat in his eyes was familiar and she nearly moaned, her knees going weak. Sango shared his frustrations, but they were on a mission, for heaven's sake!

"Inuyasha," she whispered, mouth suddenly dry, "y-you know we can't. What if we were caught?"

His voice was husky. "It's been too damn long. We've got loads of time. Those little whores are probably cowering in the cellar or something, just waiting for someone to rescue them."

Her feet moved of their own volition, her mind no longer in control. Sango's heart beat fast and hard. Suddenly her skintight suit felt very tight indeed, its heat suffocating.

"We can't," she repeated, crawling over him. "Soon we'll be back at the palace and then we can make up for all our lost time."

Inuyasha flipped her, grinding his hips into hers. "Six. Fucking. Months," he hissed, nibbling the shell of her ear. "That fucking king killed himself before I had the chance, so at the very least I can get back at him by fucking you on his sheets."

The slayer nearly swooned, overwhelmed by the desire coursing through her. Moaning his name, she brought him down for a kiss.

Just before their lips touched, he broke away. "You've been keeping up with your anti-pregnancy teas, right? Just checking."

Sango rolled her eyes. The moment was ruined, but at this point she'd take what she could get. "Yes. I know how much you hate to even breathe the same air as a fertile woman." The teas were the preferred method of contraception for the women in their land. Infused with magic, the leaves did not interfere with their hormones or cause miscarriages. They simply blocked the sperm from fertilizing the egg. She'd been drinking the foul stuff every day for twelve years now, since she was sixteen and her prince had first taken her.

"Fuck yes," he growled, yanking down her jumpsuit until her breasts were exposed. His mouth found her nipple straight away and he sucked hard, pinching her other when he heard her cry out in pain and pleasure, her hips grinding up against him as her hands gripped the back of his head.

 _ **BOOM!**_

The agony in his ringing, deafened ears had him howling (not that he could hear), and he clutched his poor head, vibrations reverberating throughout his body until he accidentally fell to the floor. Concern for Sango helped him recover quickly, and he pulled his hands away, reaching for the panicking woman on the bed. Grimacing, he realized his fingers were covered in blood. Tossing her over his shoulder, he ran, only to be thrown to the ground when yet another explosion rocked the floor beneath his feet, sending him sprawling as he held Sango safely to him. Cursing, he stumbled to his feet again and ran, scenting for the nearest exit which just so happened to be a giant window in the throne room. As he jumped, he realized something:

The dead king's sword had not been drawn when he kicked him across the room. The sword that had run him through belonged to another.

Rolling as he landed, he held Sango close to his chest, protecting her head and wrapping his limbs around her so she would not be hurt. True, she was the one who was supposed to be protecting _him_ , but in this instance he was better suited to it. Any warrior to raise their weapon would fall at her feet, but exploding castles and chunks of debris the size of wagons were more than she could handle.

After a few deep breaths with no subsequent explosions, he shakily rose to his feet, holding a hand out to his shadow and help her up. Sango fixed her jumpsuit, aware of the consequences of discovery even in such a shocking moment. Inuyasha opened his mouth wide, stretching his jaw, and was relieved when his ears popped. That meant a full recovery within a couple hours. Already the ringing was lessening and he could hear a little.

The prince turned to the slayer and grinned. "Well, that was fucking—"

The largest explosion yet echoed in his every atom. Right before his stunned and pained eyes the Higurashi stronghold was lit from the inside, pieces of rock flying every which way but most collapsing in on the structure itself. If the queen and princess had in fact been hiding in the cellar, their hiding spot had become their tomb. The same went for every other soul in that building, whether human or demon. A second after the destruction of the castle, Inuyasha's nose twitched as something began to rain around them, something distinctly familiar that he'd associated with Higurashi from the very start.

Was that… Was that _shit_?

The last thought Inuyasha had before passing out, overwhelmed by the smell of shit, was that the queen had managed to turn her own fucking sewers into a bomb. He had no doubt a woman like that was still alive and kicking.

No matter what it took, he was going to kill that bitch.

 **Note: So what do you guys think? The first three chapters were worked on with Kenju. He basically gave me a blueprint and I made changes here and there and wrote it up. Beyond that, it's all me. You guys know I'm not very detail oriented and I get bored and move things too fast, but I'm going to make a decent attempt at making the chapters profesh af and updating at least every other week, though we all know what an author's promises are worth.**


	2. Running Scared

**Two: Running Scared**

Sango ran through the streets, human filth and all other sorts of things raining down around her. Her prince was out cold, a dead weight that she carried on her back. Always thinking first of him, she had placed her traditional slayer's gas mask over his face, hoping he would recover sooner that way, although his sensitive nose had gotten the full force of the stink bomb right at the start. Demons were cocky and needed to be better prepared, in her humble opinion, but it wasn't like she could criticize higher beings.

The slayer was both enraged and impressed by the queen's little trick. Unlike her prince, she had known from the moment they'd laid eyes on the kingdom of Higurashi that their task would not be an easy one. What the people lacked in technology they made up for in skill, fighting spirit, and brute strength. To add to that rather formidable combination, they seemed to have the ear of some gods unknown, as even the weather was always in their favor. No matter their drive or help from above (and the sewers below), the Inu empire had defeated them, as they had defeated countless others. Case closed, story over.

Gagging, she spat into the dirt street, desperately trying to get the terrible taste of the very air out of her mouth. Their camp was just a few more minutes from where she was, but the smell combined with the heavy half-demon slowed her down. To her horror, the ground beneath her feet began to rumble, and she realized they must have floated bombs down the sewer river itself so as to not only destroy their castle, but their roads as well, cutting off all travel to and from Higurashi.

The message was clear: if I can't have it, nobody can.

Most of the people had evacuated thanks to the warning of both the smell and explosions, but some were still stubbornly and hopelessly defending their land. Even though they were not her countrymen, Sango's heart bled for them. Before her, behind her, and to her sides, strong demon soldiers were laying prone on the ground, some vomiting even while unconscious. If her human nose was in agony, she could only imagine what they were experiencing. Her precious cat, Kirara, had reverted to her tiny form, still conscious though too weak to do more than raise her head to acknowledge her mistress' presence. Sango wanted to take her, too, but the prince was her priority. She feared if she stopped at all, she would not make it. She was strong and the adrenaline was a huge help, but her prince was heavy with muscles.

Finally, their camp. Tucked away just inside of the famous Higurashi forest, it was too far to have been rained upon by the sewer waste. Muscles straining, sweat making her suit cling to her uncomfortably, Sango nearly groaned aloud in relief. Pushing aside the flaps of the large tent that belonged to her prince, she nearly flung him on his sleeping cushions, only to realize that she could _still_ smell the disgusting filth. The smell had seeped into the fabric of his clothes, even his fire rat cape. If she left him as he was, he'd only have more problems once he revived. Reminding herself she had sworn an oath to Inuyasha, Sango dragged him to the bathing area they'd set up as soon as they'd realized this conquest wasn't going to be like all the others.

A small pond glittered like a jewel in the waning sunlight, blinding her tired eyes. Inuyasha's royal towels, soaps, and oils were behind in his tent, but she was too concentrated on getting him clean that she didn't even think of retrieving them. Setting the half-demon down on the ground, she quickly grabbed some regulation cloths and a hard brick of soap from the wooden locker all the soldiers used. Returning to her prince, she gently pried off his black leather boots, tenderly washing the feet she knew hated to be confined, just like the rest of him. Bit by bit she undressed him, going from the bottom up. His white trousers were dirty from war, and she undid his golden belt before tugging the silk down without shame, a pleasant blush warming on her face when she was met with the familiar sight of his sex. No matter the occasion, Inuyasha was not one for undergarments. The rest of his clothing followed, and there he was, beautiful and bare. Sango hurriedly undressed herself as well, thinking to get her own bath in while she could. Carefully, she maneuvered the unconscious man into the water, soaping up the rag and washing the sweat and dirt from his golden body.

It didn't take long at all for Inuyasha to wake up. Despite Sango's pure intentions, her hands lingered in areas they knew were particularly sensitive. At first confused, thinking he was just having another one of _those_ dreams, he grabbed her wrist and forced the washcloth to his manhood, where she reflexively wrapped her fingers around him.

"Sango," he growled, mind still foggy. "I don't care if this is a dream, it's been too fucking long."

Her blush deepened. "Shhh! There might be others around! We have to act normal."

That right there was enough to let him know it was most certainly not a wonderful dream. Usually, she just did whatever he wanted without talking, and there probably would have been a few other women there as well just to liven things up. While her giving him a hand job (at the very least) was out of the question, it was not uncommon for men of higher ranks to have their guards, whether female slayers like his own or young men, wash them intimately.

"What the fuck happened?"

"The queen blew up the sewers. You and most of the army immediately collapsed. I brought you back to camp as fast as I could."

Inuyasha grumbled irritably, both at how the tone of her voice sounded like she was reporting something to her superior and how that bitch queen had made him look like even more of a weakling. First the war against a bunch of backwoods barbarians takes forever, then the Higurashi leaders deprive him of their blood, _then_ they make him pass out with their devious trick, losing him the castle and the respect of his men. Now what!? What else would he have to suffer for the sake of the fucking empire?

"Thanks for bringing me back, anyway. Must've been hard without Kirara."

Eyes on the fairly neutral skin of his chest, she nodded, continuing to wash him. "It is my duty, after all."

"Your duty is to obey my every order." He rarely used such a firm tone of voice with her, but he had been without his favorite hobby for too long and he craved to dominate. As expected, Sango softly gasped and her nipples visibly hardened. "Hand me the rag. It's your turn."

Fingers trembling, she pushed away her worries and did as told, longing to lose herself in being commanded. To Sango's surprise, Inuyasha actually just washed her without trying anything else. His touch was harder than she personally liked, but the fact that it was him doing the touching made everything perfect. Leaning her head back, she just enjoyed the brief moment of peace. Far from the soldiers and the smell, out in nature where everything was lovely, alone with her beloved prince.

Meanwhile, Inuyasha washed her thoroughly, careful with his claws. Unable to avoid it, he lingered on her outer labia and breasts, paying some special attention to her flat, toned stomach as well. The work helped his mind focus, and he began to plan what to do next. The majority of his troops would stay behind in the now literal shithole that was Higurashi, cleaning it up and making it fit for Inu occupation. He and Sango, either by themselves or with a few of their best trackers, would go seeking the trail of the royal sisters. Winning Higurashi had not been as easy as anticipated, but what could two women on their own do? Perhaps they had taken servants with them, but they wouldn't be of much help out in the wild. They were so close to complete dominion over the realm that he could taste it. And he could taste the queen and the little princess, too. He'd make them beg for it, he swore as he rubbed Sango's clit a little too hard, making her cry out and convulse. Even if the women were too old, too young, or too ugly, he'd have them and make them regret not surrendering when they'd had the chance. The dumb whore could have kept her kingdom and her throne, all she had to do was pay tribute and acknowledge the emperor as the supreme ruler, but no, she was too proud and the blood of her people was on her hands.

Sighing in frustration, he abruptly leapt out of the water and shook himself off. Sango grimaced at the droplets of water hitting her face and hair, but endured. Sensing his mood was not the best, she wordlessly dried off and dressed, extremely conscious of his eyes on her. The feeling that they were on the verge of some drastic change was inescapable and she went back to their tent with great reluctance, wanting to linger in the memory of his hands on her body in the water. Inuyasha dressed himself in his princely best, fire rat cape already magically self-cleansed. Something about watching a man, especially Inuyasha, dress himself for an important occasion was so very attractive to her. She tried not to look at him, knowing that even though he had allowed her release earlier, all it would take was one more look and she would be a sexually unfulfilled puddle again.

The command tent was abuzz with noisy activity. During the time they'd been bathing, many of the stronger soldiers had recovered and were now back at work serving the empire. Once inside, the division commanders claimed the prince's attention first.

"We've been recording and collecting reports from the field, my lord, and most of the Higurashi humans have fled, many escaping from our own temporary prisons, assisted by the chaos. We were overwhelmed by the situation and are still caring for our wounded. If it is your wish, we could perhaps dispatch a few small teams to comb the forest for the escapees once dawn arrives, but the troops need rest badly."

Inuyasha knew they were waiting for orders. Just because he liked to, he stared them down, a hard light in his eye, until he could smell their nervous fear. "Fuck that. It's the perfect time to make our move. Humans can't see in the dark like we demons." He turned to the few able-bodied men standing at attention. "Fan out! Collect any of your brothers that can still hunt. We will take all the humans _alive_ , you hear me? Not a single damned one killed. Anyone who has disobeyed this order will answer to me."

One of the bolder soldiers, a rookie, briefly bowed his head and voiced his thoughts. "But why, my lord? We were free to do whatever we wished with the humans earlier today."

Inuyasha toyed with the idea of punching him until he coughed up his teeth, but decided perhaps some clarification would result in a better performance. "Remember, men, we are looking for any surviving members of the Higurashi royal family, or anyone with information about them." He grinned the grin of a madman. "And someone is going to have to clean up the fucking capital and make it fit for Inu occupation. Our own people are above that."

"Yes, sir!" The men shouted as one.

"If you want to claim any captured human," he said, knowing this is what they really wanted to hear, "you'll first have to report your intention and bring the human in for examination and interrogation. The value of the slave will be deducted from your pay at double the market price."

Audible complaints were buzzing among the soldiers. In the past, they were able to claim any enemy, no questions asked. It was one of the perks of enlisting and many joined solely for that reason. Many men had built their fortunes on slaves they had acquired while serving the Inu Empire.

Inuyasha pointed a clawed hand towards where the city swimming in filth was. "We need all the workers we can to clean up that mess and build the city anew. I'm not having this disaster turn into a complete fucking loss. Scouts, head out with the best trackers you can find. Those unfit to participate in the hunt, stay behind and gather the dead off the battlefield. The humans who didn't escape will be awarded the pleasure of burying them. It would be kind to usher them into their new lives and status as quickly as possible."

The soldiers saluted and set out. From the sidelines came a silver-haired dog demon clothed in emerald robes, the regalia of a messenger from the capitol.

"My lord prince," the messenger began, bowing deeply, "I have been waiting to speak to you privately."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. Another fucking taunt from his brother, great. "Well, spit it out."

The messenger scowled at Sango, who did nothing but stay in her power stance, holding her weapon lengthwise in front of herself and the prince.

"She is my shadow," he said, waving his hand impatiently. "Whatever you've got for me, you better get to it. We're busy."

"'Dear brother,'" the messenger began, "'Father and I have been hearing about your progress, or lack of, from one of your mother's dearest confidantes. Duke Ponhiki, the sire of one of the hunters with you on your campaign, and Izayoi cloistered themselves in her chambers until they emerged at breakfast, where she happily relayed the news of Higurashi's nearing defeat to Father. While her misplaced faith in her only child might be endearing to some, I have some worries about whether you are entirely capable of defeating this village of women. After all, it has been half a year, and Father grows impatient for tribute. I myself champion your cause as much as I am able, but twisting the truth is not something I will permit myself to do. What is there for tribute in Higurashi, anyway, dear brother, other than sub-par slaves fit only to till the fields and work the mines?

"'I Remain,

Sesshomaru, First Son of Inu and—'"

The messenger crumpled to the floor, revealing Sango standing behind him holding her Hiraikotsu, poised to strike again should he show signs of consciousness.

"The messenger was so exhausted he appears to have fainted, my lord."

Inuyasha nodded, swallowing a laugh. "So it seems. Good work, Sango."

"Are we going to go searching as well, my lord?"

Inuyasha grinned. Not needing to hear anything more, Sango whistled for Kirara and walked to the front of the tent. His head tilted sideways the slightest bit. Was it just him, or did her hips always have a little extra sway when it was just the two of them?

 **O\o/O**

Kagome stepped as quietly as she could in the heavy wooden shoes that were too big for her to the point that she was getting blisters on her delicate, untried toes. Kikyo walked smoothly, gracefully, used to the forest and its layout. A quiver of arrows rested on her back and her bow was drawn. They were currently tracking a deer and had been for hours, almost from the moment they'd entered the thickly wooded forest. Kagome had to learn how to become quiet, as well as patient. The only knowledge of hunting she had was that it existed and that was how meat ended up on her plate. She was lucky to have a sister like Kikyo, someone who knew how to do everything best.

The twang of an arrow being released shocked Kagome and she covered her own mouth, trying to stifle any noise she might have made. Something heavy fell in the distance and she darted after Kikyo. The deer was far bigger than the little fawns she had sometimes seen in her garden and begged her nurse to bring to her. It was still alive though laboring to breathe. While disturbed at the scene, she admired Kikyo's ability to bring down her target from so far away. Was there anything she couldn't do?

Kikyo pulled a long, serrated knife from a hidden sheath in her boot. Before Kagome could scream, she slit its throat and began to clean the kill, cutting it open from sternum to sex. Tears wet her face and she looked away as her sister began scooping the innards out. The smells and sounds were too much for her, however, and she stumbled a few feet, leaned against a tree, and spilled the contents of her stomach. Kikyo chuckled a bit and Kagome blushed. It wasn't like she wanted to be weak. If she had been familiar with this, brought up like this, she wouldn't have a single problem now. Taking a mouthful of water from the peasant-style canteen that hung from her waist, she rinsed her mouth, wishing she'd thought to bring some mint leaves from the plant she had growing in her room. A good chew of that would have her feeling a lot better.

"Try and start a fire while I finish cleaning the deer."

She had seen Kikyo do this several times before when they were younger and she had been allowed to camp outside for a night as a special treat for tolerating Hojo. The tinderbox was in Kikyo's pack and she brought it out immediately, caressing its golden outside, knowing it was a possession that had belonged to their mother. Though it was her first time handling it, she had seen it often enough that she knew what to do. Arranging the kindling, she propped up some fallen dry sticks from nearby. They kept falling over and rolling away. Frustrated, she kept trying. Finally, when they were all nice and neat, she struck the flint. Nothing, no sparks. Not exactly deterred but still disappointed, she tried again. Nothing. Again. And again. And again.

"Here, you rest. I'll do it."

The sight of blood on Kikyo's hands made Kagome's stomach heave again, and when her older sister took the tools away from her, leaving a small smear of blood on the back of her hand, she nearly swooned. Trying to take in deep breaths, she began to gag when all she could smell was the dead deer and all she could taste was bile. Against her will, her eyes stayed glued to the mutilated corpse of the animal, the ragged chunks of flesh resting on a length of burlap.

"Please," she gasped just as the fire was almost completely brought to life. "Please, Kikyo, please wash your hands. I-I can't…"

Kikyo nodded. "I understand." She took out her canteen and poured a small amount into her palm, less than a mouthful, and began to rub her hands with the end of her skirt. "I'll cook the meat, too, don't worry. Rest."

The runaway princess tried to rest, but she kept looking at the deer. When she tried to nap and closed her eyes, the deer was there, too. All she could do was attempt to breathe through her mouth without tasting the death on the air. She'd eaten venison countless times, but seeing what it looked like in between life and being covered in gravy had changed something.

"Here," Kikyo said gently, handing Kagome a chunk of meat impaled on a stick.

Kikyo ate her meat like a soldier, like a machine. It was just fuel for her to go on living and fighting another day. Kagome stared at hers, at the burnt outside and the bloody juices running down the stick, sluggish drippings racing each other for her hand, the fat glistening.

"It might be a while before we find food again, Kagome. You need to eat it."

Hesitantly, she poked her tongue out of her mouth and touched the tip of it to the charred meat. Knowing how the meat was obtained, that it had been inside a living thing not an hour before, that she had seen it die, prevented her from going further than that. Her stomach grumbled and she thought of quail in red wine and orange sauce with little red potatoes. Meat was still something she enjoyed, evidently, but now she knew she just hated to see it in its original state, or really at all until it was served on golden plates.

"Kagome," Kikyo said, now using her Queen voice, "you need to eat. Remember what happens to captured women like us. I promise you, the swine of the Inu army won't treat you like Hojo did."

Fear motivated her to plug her nose and take a bite. "Gods, Kikyo, this tastes like charcoal!"

She merely raised a brow. "And?"

Sniffling, Kagome chewed with her mouth open, trying her best not to taste it or vomit. "Hojo… I wonder what happened to him?"

Kikyo shrugged, unconcerned. "If he was lucky, and he isn't, he was slaughtered on sight. If he is the descendent of a god and therefore a god himself as Hekigan claims, then his guards did not abandon him and they made it out of Higurashi alive and are halfway to the sea by now." She tore another chunk of meat off her stick. "The Inu army probably have him in a dress by now. I don't want to think beyond that."

Kagome sighed. "Do I still have to marry him? I'd almost rather return to Higurashi."

"We are going to attempt to live in secret," Kikyo explained. "You don't have to marry anyone ever in your life."

For the first time since Higurashi fell, Kagome perked up. "Really? No more Hojo, no more Kaede, no more rules? Just you and me?"

She smiled. "You and me and the forest." Rising to her feet, she began to put out the fire, pouring water and flinging dirt on the flames.

"Why'd you do that?" Kagome wondered, scrambling to her feet as well. "It's getting cold!"

"A fire can be seen from miles away, and the dogs can smell it from even further on. We need to move and find a place to camp." Quickly, she tied the burlap cloth over the meat and fashioned it into a bag, picking up a stick she'd selected earlier and slinging it through the ties to better carry it.

Kagome's feet began stinging anew, but she obediently gathered her things, her back aching almost immediately.

"We need to be near the river so we have a constant source of water, but still far enough away so the Inu army won't easily find us. They're likely to search along the river, knowing we want to stay close to it. If we're lucky, the stupid beasts will assume we ran like chickens with their heads cut off into the woods, disorganized and without a ghost of a plan. Demons have a history of underestimating Higurashi."

They walked for a solid hour before Kagome felt that telltale feeling that signaled her need for a chamber pot. "Um, Kikyo, I need to, um…"

Kikyo sighed and stopped. "You really are just the same as you were when a child, Kagome. Go on and make water, I'll wait here. Leave your things with me and try to hurry. You know what poison ivy looks like, right?"

She nodded, face flushed from what felt like a scolding. There was an appropriate tree not too far away and she squatted down, doing her business quickly. Not too far from her was a bush covered in ripe, red berries, a rare sight this time of year. It occurred to her that she could make up for her reaction to the deer by gathering the berries, showing Kikyo she wasn't entirely useless. There were no thorns, so she plucked freely, stuffing the many large pockets of her peasant's dress. When she had practically stripped the bush, she turned to go back the way she'd come, but kept turning and turning.

Where was she?

All the trees looked the same to her now and she walked around, hoping to find something familiar, anything. But nothing jogged her memory. It was getting darker and darker, faster and faster. The bush hadn't even been that far away; it was within eyesight of the tree she'd been under! Just when she thought she should instead be looking at the ground for any sign of puddles, it began to rain, big fat drops falling at an alarming rate. Before too long, she would be surrounded by puddles. A crash nearby startled her. Lighting illuminated the area and a pair of red eyes made her scream, a sound that was covered by the clash of thunder. Before she could even confirm if whatever she'd seen was following her, she was running as fast as she could in whatever direction wasn't blocked by nature. Eventually, nature won, and she ran straight into the trunk of a giant tree. Scared, wet, cold, and now with a hurting face, Kagome stayed on the ground and let herself cry, sobbing into her muddy hands, dirtying her face.

"Hey, ugly! Whatcha doin' down on the ground when you got legs?"

A draft hit her backside and a different squeaky voice piped up. "Her butt is white! She's some kind of bloodless freak!"

Kagome screeched and slapped the little monkey that had compromised her modesty. Two monkeys came down from where they had been hidden among the leaves, hanging from a branch by their tails. The one she'd hit joined them, clutching his swollen cheek and glaring at her.

"You're mean! We're telling the master."

Fed up, Kagome got to her feet and clenched her fists, ready to take all three of them on in a fight. "I don't care! I'm a princess, so I outrank your 'master'."

The monkeys whispered loudly amongst themselves. "Does a princess outrank a god?"

"I dunno. What's 'outrank' mean?"

"Look at her. She's too dirty to be a princess."

Kagome stomped her foot. "I can hear you!"

"So?" they said in unison.

"Ugh," she groaned, clenching her teeth in frustration. "Can you just give me directions to the river?"

"River? Ohhh, you mean the pee pee place!"

Kagome gagged. She and Kikyo had filled their canteens there. "So where is it?"

"Find your own toilet, meanie!"

"I don't want to use it for _that_ , I just want to find my sister!" she snapped.

"You're mean and a liar. Why should we do anything you say?"

She smiled, and it was brutal. "Because my sister is the Queen, and if you don't take me to her, she'll find you and skin you alive." Unlike with the deer, she would happily watch these little monsters suffer.

The three of them began to shake and whispered so low she couldn't hear. Finally, they took off, gesturing for her to follow, swinging from the trees. The rain had mostly stopped by then, just a few drops here and there and an occasional bout of sprinkling, so following them was relatively easy in the bright moonlight. Plus, they were loudly chattering away the entire time about nonsense.

"Here it is!" one monkey announced, pointing at a hollow tree. "Master Monkey God, this human woman wants to find her sister and if she doesn't then we get murdered."

The monkey god, who was hardly distinguishable from some wizened elder, emerged from the darkness of the tree trunk.

"Welcome back, my sprites." Turning to her, he bowed. "Princess, your sister will come to you in due time."

Kagome's mouth dropped open in shock. She honestly hadn't expected a legitimate deity to be affiliated with the little talking monkeys. "Monkey God, may I have your blessing? And if you would be so kind as to bless my people, you would have my eternal gratitude."

The monkey god shook his head and chuckled. "Oh, you are going to need a _lot_ more than a blessing from the likes of me. And I am not the blessing kind of god."

"Well, what kind of god are you?"

"Hold out your palm." She obeyed, extending her dirty hand. "There is much suffering in your future. A miracle that will turn into a curse. Love that will twist into hate. Hate that will twist into love. And you'll stub your toe real, real bad."

Kagome snatched her hand back, nearly snarling at the old deity. "You demented old charlatan, making light of mine and my people's suffering!"

She would have continued, but the shout of her name reached her and she turned towards it, relieved. About two seconds later, Kikyo stumbled through the brush, carrying all their bags, and Kagome ran to her, throwing her arms around her older sister and trying not to cry. Kikyo's face was worried and scared, not at all the strong put together woman she had been pretending to be for Kagome's sake. She dropped what she was carrying and grabbed the girl's chin, studying her dirty face.

"Where in the hell have you been?"

Kagome, hoping to avoid another scolding, stuck her hands in her pockets and pulled out handfuls of berries. "I found these and then when I was done picking them I couldn't remember which way I'd come from."

Kikyo slapped them out of her hands. "I hope to the gods you didn't eat any of those! They're poisonous!"

She blushed and turned back towards the monkeys. Sifting through her pockets, she found one of the precious items she'd secreted away. "Here," she said, trying to sound as regal as she could. She handed the monkey god a small white gold ring with diamonds and amethyst. "My thanks."

"Wow! You're either a real princess or a real thief!"

"Maybe a real princess thief!"

Kikyo tugged on her hand and led her a short bit away. "Did you tell those loud-mouthed little sprites that you are a princess?"

Kagome nodded. "Yes, they weren't helping me at all! I even had to name drop you just for them to bring me to the stupid monkey god."

The Queen raised her hand, rage on her eyes, but stopped herself, jaw tightening and expression hardening. "Do me and the man who died for us a favor and never, under any circumstance, reveal your former identity ever again. You are no longer Princess Kagome of Higurashi, betrothed of Hojo, Crown Prince of Hekigan. You are just you, worse off than the lowest peasant. You don't even have any ground to till." She snatched up one of Kagome's bags. "And what did you bring to help you in your new life!? Gold! Jewels! Dresses! We needed things of use!"

The princess-who-wasn't was crying, just barely keeping from sobbing. "I thought that m-maybe we could use these things and sell them once we g-g-got to a city."

Kikyo growled in frustration. "We may never be in a city ever again. My goal is to survive in this forest for as long as possible, years, even, and we need tools and provisions and medicine for that!"

"I'm sorry!" Kagome yelled, feeling as worthless and poisonous as the berries she'd gathered. "I brought a canteen like you said! I tried to do everything you said!"

"This!?" Kikyo barked out a laugh and threw it on the ground. "It's not a canteen, it's a flask! I golden, bejeweled flask with the godsdamned royal crest on it! We are supposed to be _dead_. That is the only way we can be safe. What if someone found this on your person? What if they connected the dots and discovered you were the princess of Higurashi? What if they handed you over to the Inu? All this would have been for nothing! For nothing!" She took a deep breath, trying not to think of Suikotsu. "Because of your actions, we might end up actually dead instead of just presumed dead. Now I have to kill the sprites and the forest god." She drew her sword.

Kagome fell to her knees, hugging Kikyo's legs, preventing her from moving. "No! It was my fault, not theirs. They were innocent, just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Punish me instead, Kikyo! Cut off my head so I won't be a burden any longer!"

Kikyo lowered her sword in degrees and finally sighed, stroking Kagome's hair. The hollow tree with three frightened sprites and one monkey god faded from sight. "I'm sorry for reacting with such anger. But we need to keep going."

Still wet and shivering, Kagome attempted to get to her feet, but instead came crashing back down. Putting her hand on her shoulder, preventing her from trying to rise again, Kikyo knelt at her side.

"It's all right. We can rest now and leave at first light."

"W-where's the t-t-tent?" Kagome asked, teeth chattering.

Kikyo looked down at their few bags, then at her flat, straight form. "Do you think I'd be hiding bed rolls and tents?"

Recognizing she didn't have much of a choice, Kagome still sniffled miserably, but didn't want to cry again like a baby. Kikyo stretched and then crawled to the closest tree, patting the ground next to her. Kagome followed, uncomfortable and huddling close to Kikyo, the two of them shifting until she was sitting between her legs, cradled at her breast.

Kikyo hummed. "I love holding you like this. It reminds me of when you were just a little baby girl and I'd sing to you and tell you stories and even if you'd been putting your nurses through hell, acting like a genuine demon, you'd fall right asleep. I'd go to sleep in the chair beside you and Kaede would punish me."

She snuggled closer. "What do you think happened to Kaede?"

"She is the strongest lesser priestess in Higurashi. She's probably still fighting."

Kagome sighed. "What will happen to Mother's grave and the graves of the other departed Queens?"

"The part of Mother that matters is within me, Kagome. You know that."

The hearts of past Queens were burnt to ashes on the sunset following their demise. The ashes were added to the finest red wine and drunk by the new Queen. In the myth of Higurashi, the heart housed the immortal soul. Kikyo, as reigning Queen, currently possessed all the power of the past Queens inside her, all their souls.

Kagome warded off tears but her throat burned. "I know, but I always felt like some part of Mother liked to see the flowers I put on her grave. I didn't have time to put any there before we fled."

Kikyo shushed her. "Time to sleep, Kagome."

Shyly, she said, "Can I have a story? Please?" Her arms tightened around Kikyo, unconsciously manipulating.

Kikyo indulged her. "Let's see… There once was a princess who had dwelled in a castle without windows or doors. She could hear the noises of the world outside, but she could never see it, let alone experience it. Every day, she longed to see what her books told her lay outside the cold stone walls. Meanwhile, a handsome prince who shone brighter than the sun plotted to rescue her. But the guardian of the castle, an evil old crone, was a magician and knew his plans before he acted on them. The princess was unaware, but bit by bit, she carved away at part of the wall with an old chicken bone…"

Kikyo had put herself to sleep, exhausted.

Meanwhile, Kagome was wide awake and scared, hyper aware of her surroundings now that she was the only conscious person in their party. She fidgeted and flinched each time she heard a sound, afraid it was a wild animal and then afraid it wasn't. Closing her eyes, she decided it wasn't so scary if she only focused on what was going on inside her head. Gods, she wished she was back home and in bed and all of this was just some terrible nightmare. She'd even marry stupid Hojo and have a thousand of his stupid babies if it meant she could escape this reality and have her kingdom whole and sovereign. But no, she was not in her warm canopied bed, but curled up with Kikyo in the middle of the forest. She was so hungry. Her stomach growled loudly, and, unfamiliar with the pain, she nearly doubled over. Kaede was always telling her to eat less so that Hojo would willingly take her to his bed after marriage, saying men didn't like plump girls with breasts like udders spilling out of their bodices. Men liked strong women they could spar with. If anything, that had encouraged her to indulge more and keep being lazy. Shivering, she shifted her position, trying to get the most warmth she could from Kikyo. It was going to be a long night.

 **O\o/O**

Inuyasha grit his teeth, trying not to puncture Kirara's back with his claws. He hated riding the thing. It was a _cat_ , for hell's sake! But it was admittedly faster than him carrying Sango. At this point in his forced celibacy, he was very likely to get distracted.

Smoke from a fire had led them to the party they were about to apprehend. Idiots, thinking an Inu wouldn't notice something so obvious. They were practically begging for capture. Kirara flew low, right over them, and he and Sango jumped down in unison.

It was a group of soldiers, feasting and drinking and obviously unprepared and unsuspecting. Slightly drunk, they drew their swords. Or at least they attempted to. Inuyasha growled and kicked two in the face, hitting one over the head, all at once. All of them hit the ground, out cold.

"Got 'em!" he bragged, feeling slightly better after his minor victory.

"We were supposed to question them," Sango said, her tone just a hair away from being insubordinate.

"Shit."

Rustling in the bushes alerted them to a fourth presence and Sango took off towards it. He let her, thinking she needed to blow off steam herself, following at a short distance just in case things got out of hand. Sango leapt and tackled the fourth person. There was a small struggle, which surprised him, since his shadow seldom ever had a fight last longer than one or two blows, never taking any herself. Eventually, the unlucky person tired out and lay panting on the ground, defeated.

"Get off me, demon's whore!" she screeched, kicking her legs but not able to harm Sango. "I'd rather die than be raped by the likes of your owner!"

Sango punched her in the face. "Inuyasha is a _prince_ and you will respect him," she hissed. "And no one owns me."

"Then let me go! You're human, you're a woman, you understand, right?"

"That is not an option. Now be quiet so I don't have to render you unconscious."

"Traitor! You serve demons and betray your own kind! You're just as bad as them!"

Sango hit her. Not enough to knock her out, but enough to shut her up.

"It's okay, Sango, I've got it from here."

Obedient, Sango rose and whistled for Kirara. Inuyasha crouched down near the stunned woman and held a hand to her throat. Her breaths came in gasps and his eyes were drawn towards her heaving chest. Her _ample_ heaving chest.

"Damn, woman," he laughed. "If you weren't such an annoying bitch, I'd claim you myself." He didn't have a particular thing for big-chested women, but he did enjoy watching the fear pass over her face.

Eyes bored into the back of his head but he ignored the creeping sensation it gave him.

"Now tell me, where is the queen?"

She snarled at him, a fraction of bravery sparking in her eyes at the mention of her ruler. "The Queen is dead. The Princess will lead us now."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "There is no way in hell or above a bitch that blew up her own kingdom to stop me from having it is dead." Well, she could have chosen to go out with it, but his gut told him otherwise. And none of the soldiers he'd observed were capable of thinking up such a devastating plot, so the queen was it. "She's out here somewhere, and I'm going to find her. Now, would you like to be rewarded or tortured? Your pick."

"I know nothing," she sneered. "If I did, I wouldn't tell you a single thing. But a simple soldier like myself has never even seen the Queen's face. Our ranks were too far apart."

"Bring me the bag she dropped when you tackled her," he said, eyes on the woman but voice directed towards Sango.

The leather bag was heavy. He knew what was inside before he opened it. Gold, silver, jewels. Filled to the brim.

"You act loyal, but you're nothing more than a thief." He fought the urge to spit at the woman's face.

"We took it so you wouldn't get your filthy paws on it!" she screeched, incensed at having her loyalty questioned. "Our mission was to find the Princess! Priestess Kaede was certain she still lives!"

Inuyasha smirked at the information, his nose telling him she wasn't lying. "I'll let Kaede know what I think of that as soon as my men find her. I'm guessing she's the old cyclops that's been taking out scores of my men?" She was the only priestess he was truly worried about. Already she'd slaughtered the sons of some very important people.

"Kaede will kill you herself." The cold certainty in her eyes almost bothered him. Almost.

Inuyasha smiled. "I'll tell you what. After I kill Kaede, I'm going to find this little princess of yours." If the queen was anywhere, she was probably with her. "And I'm going to do to her every dirty, nasty thing you're afraid I'm going to do to you. And so, so much more."

The woman's face contorted and she seemed near tears.

"Knock her out and let's start tying 'em up," he ordered Sango, already bored. "We've got a princess to find and a queen to torture."

 **Note: Thanks for reading! And especially thanks for reviewing. The follows and favorites are nice, too, but reviews are my jam. I don't make any money off of this and it takes a lot of time to write, so reviewing is like flipping a quarter into the hat of a street musician. Some benefits of reviewing:**

 **I will not haunt you when I die.**

 **You will be able to control all your dreams.**

 **God will smite your enemies.**

 **There will be much macaroni and cheese in your future.**

 **All your birthday wishes will come true.**

… **And more.**

 **Also, HAVE YOU GUYS SEEN FUCKING GOBLIN!? Like for real. I don't know if you're into K Dramas at all, but I've been obsessed with Korean pop culture since I was like 12 and the mascara tears I uglycried because of this drama were freaking insane. IT'S SO GREAT. Also the next few updates might be slow in coming because I have midterms and other junk but I'm always working on my stories.**


	3. Cage of Golden Gloom

**Note: One big ole chapter before Spring Break! Have fun, everyone. I'm super busy now, but I'll try and have the next chapter up within the month. Also, WHY ARE ALL THESE RANDOS FAVORITING DOG GOD? WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE? THANK YOU, THO. Did someone rec that old fic or what, like for real. I have no idea what's going on. Are any of you new people even reading this? Can you please enlighten me?**

 **Remember, kids, reviewing makes all these things possible:**

 **Gain the ability to fly**

 **Your pets will never die**

 **I'll bake you a pecan pie**

 **I will personally boil anyone you even slightly dislike in a giant cauldron filled to the brim with their tears of pain until their flesh falls from the bone, at which point your immortal pets will feast like the kings they will soon be once phase seven of the plan is complete**

 **And more…**

 **Three: Cage of Golden Gloom**

Waking before sunrise was yet another new thing Kagome was begrudgingly introduced to. Were she a few years younger, she'd be kicking and screaming and crying trying to get her way. Though she was no longer a child, she envied that small power they had. Sighing as she trod along beside Kikyo, she mused on how nice it would be to be carried, her feet stinging and aching though they'd not even walked a mile. Never in her life had she been a morning person, usually preferring to sleep until noon, and it always took her a while to wake up fully. Sleeping on the hard, cold earth had left her bruised and hurting. The cold she'd begun to experience last night had worsened and she was constantly sucking in snot. Not at all ladylike. She had been too scared to sleep much, so on top of all that she was also painfully tired.

And that was just the start of the day.

Groggily, stiffly, reluctantly, she attempted to keep pace with Kikyo. Not wanting to be a burden, she kept all her negative thoughts and complaints inside. But then they reached the first river crossing and her resolve was tested.

While the water of Higurashi's sole river was not flowing too fast, it came up to her chest, and it felt colder than the shaved ice she'd enjoyed on occasion, extravagant gifts from Hojo that had almost made her see possible benefits in being his bride. Since it was early spring, the mountain snows were melting and flowing right into the very river that was freezing her lower limbs off.

And she was naked.

Kikyo insisted it was better not to wear clothes in the cold water because it would impede their movement, slow them down, possibly lead to them drowning, and once they got out of the water it would only make them sicker. The former Queen seemed energized, like it was just a quick morning swim, but Kagome wondered if drowning was really so bad in comparison to the life she was living now. All of her belongings were stacked above her head, towering, tied with twine. It was heavy, and the water was now almost up to her chin. Kikyo still moved forward without it even coming to her shoulders. Meanwhile her mouth filled with water and she spat it out, releasing a surprised cry. A splash sounded to her right and she looked over only to see her sole pair of shoes swept away by the current.

There was nothing she could do, and so she looked away, focusing on the other side of the river. It took a while for her to reach it, but with Kikyo's help she finally arrived, too cold and shivering to dress herself. Sighing, her older sister did it for her.

"Where are your shoes, Kagome?"

"F-f-f-fell. I-in water."

"Here." Without even a chiding word, Kikyo placed her own shoes on Kagome's feet, leaving herself barefoot. Kagome wanted to protest, but she knew Kikyo would ignore her, and her feet were already so hurt that she just gratefully accepted them. Gods, she really was useless.

Every step they took, Kagome flinched. Even though Kikyo seemed fine, she still felt horrifically guilty. The forest floor was densely littered with sticks and stones and crunchy leaves and perhaps even animal bones. She'd seen a couple dead birds. And what about dirt and insects? She shuddered, this time not from the ever present cold.

When she told Kikyo she needed a chamber pot and _not_ to make water this time and all her older sister did was tell her to dig a hole, it finally set in that this was the way things were going to be for the foreseeable future.

"I saw some fresh tracks nearby. I'll go hunt while you finish up."

Kagome was left with her thoughts and a hole. All of the princesses in every story she'd ever heard had faced trials and tribulations, but this!? She'd much rather be kidnapped by some crazy wizard and forced to act as his serving maid until a prince she'd never met liberated her and made her his bride and the co-ruler of his kingdom. But nature called, and eventually she could do nothing else but answer.

In much less time than had taken to track and kill the deer, Kikyo returned with the meat of a wild boar, thankfully cleaned and cut into portions. Kagome was grateful, but when it occurred to her that she had only done it due to her previous reaction, she was back to feeling like a burden. The Queen of Higurashi squatted barefoot in the dirt rubbing sticks together with her rough hands until they sparked. Kagome shivered and stared into the growing flames. Even if they did return to being royalty, she would never be the same way. She would never see Kikyo the same way. When the meat was cooked, she ate it all without complaint, even though it did taste like what she imagined the forest floor did.

The night brought terrors with it. Even though she was thoroughly exhausted, she could not fall asleep. It seemed pointless to her for Kikyo to take watch under such circumstances, but her older sister merely waved her hand at her, shooing her off to bed like she was still a little girl giving her nurse a hard time. Finally, after many hours, she managed to drift off. She didn't know how long she remained sleeping, but suddenly she felt very cold and came back to consciousness, blinking in the dark. With only the dying embers of the fire to light the immediate area, she could barely see. It took a while, but she eventually realized that Kikyo was no longer next to her.

Kikyo was gone.

Darting to her feet, she began to scream her sister's name. "Kikyo!?" Nothing. Gods, she had abandoned her, left her all alone, she was never coming back. Kagome knew it like she knew her own name. "I'm sorry, Kikyo, I'm so sorry! You can have your shoes back, I won't complain anymore, I'll do everything you say, I swear it on all the Queens! Kikyo, I—"

A hard pinch to her arm woke her and she looked around frantically, not fully comprehending what was going on.

"Gods, Kagome, you were screaming like someone was gutting you with a carving knife. You're fine, it was just a nightmare."

The tears were unavoidable and Kagome wept, clinging to her only remaining family. Loud, vocal, hiccupping sobs wracked her body. A small bit of comfort came from Kikyo's hand rhythmically stroking her back.

"I'm sorry, I'm _sorry_ , I'm so sorry—"

Kikyo shushed her. "It's all right. Everything will be well. Keep in mind that we _are_ still hiding, so you need to keep quiet. But I promise, Kagome, I vow to you on all our ancestors and in front of all the gods that I will protect you with my very life."

She nodded, drawing away and drying her tears. "And I promise to be more useful. I'm not smart like you are, but I'm going to learn."

Unbeknownst to her, her chin took on an almost childishly stubborn look and Kikyo smiled, for the first time really believing her own words that things would be okay. They slept side by side, hand in hand, sharing as much warmth as they could.

 **O\o/O**

This time, Kagome willingly arose before the sun, even before Kikyo. It was short-lived as she accidentally jostled her awake as she rose.

"This is a surprise. I was prepared to get used to dragging you to your feet every morning."

Kagome just smirked. "Here. I wore the shoes yesterday, so it's only fair you wear them today. Take them."

It seemed for a moment like she was going to refuse, but something in Kagome's face convinced her and she simply nodded and accepted them with a soft thanks.

Her intentions were honorable, but they were nearing the mountains, and it was a very rugged area, especially hard to maneuver without proper footwear. Almost as soon as they set out, Kagome began to regret her magnanimity. As she'd feared, the ground was littered with all sorts of hard things. It seemed like there was a burr lurking under every leaf and all the rocks were jagged-edged. What was worse than the prickly things were the soft and squishy things. In the dim early morning light, a tiny spot of white was seen where her foot was to go next, and before her mind could piece together what it was her eyes were seeing, she had stepped on the corpse of a small mouse. Somehow, she managed to keep her scream from sounding. After that, she stopped looking down, as stupid as that may seem. Kagome would rather her feet be further bloodied and bruised by mysteries than by known horrors. Every small cut burned, but she kept quiet, her eyes on Kikyo's strong and sure back. For her, for her Queen, for her sister, she would perform these small heroics.

Hours later, just when Kagome was about to drop, they stopped for a rest. Exhausted but pretending to be fully energized, Kagome sat down on a wide, flat rock. More and more rocks and less trees were appearing the further they walked. A now noticeable incline made her feel even more tired than she should be.

"How long have you had those?" Kikyo's voice was sharp and fierce, her eyes on her sister's wounded bare feet.

Kagome winced and drew her feet up, covering them with the hem of her dress. She didn't want to look at her once soft skin, her formerly smooth, rosy heels. Not yet. She wasn't ready for that yet.

"I-I don't know."

"The dogs could track us down easily once they got a whiff of your blood! And if these get infected, you could die, even from a small wound. Sometimes the only way to save a person is to amputate the infected flesh, and where would we be then? We have no doctor, Kagome! No doctor! _We_ — _have_ — _no_ — _doctor_!" What started out as a snippy speech turned into angry screams. Her face was a mottled red, scaring Kagome.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, shrinking into herself.

Kikyo turned her back to her and began shuffling through her pack. Though she was quiet now, Kagome could tell by the set of her shoulders that she wasn't going to get over this easily. Without a care for the garment, she ripped the hem off her dress all the way around and then tore it into several strips. Before Kagome could react, Kikyo roughly pulled her feet out from under her, surprising her with her strength. She'd always known her sister was strong, but had assumed since she was a woman they'd be more like equals than they were. If they were ever forced to fight, Kagome knew she wouldn't stand a chance, not in strength or in cleverness.

Some of their precious canteen water was sprinkled onto her injured feet and with patient hands, Kikyo cleaned her wounds. Once the blood and grime was washed away, it was revealed that her wounds were mostly shallow, a few deeper ones here and there. All had since stopped bleeding. Carefully, Kikyo bandaged her up. Once she was satisfied the makeshift bandages would stay put, she tore again at her hem, taking off her shoes and wrapping her own feet. Confused, Kagome just watched silently.

"Here," Kikyo said, handing her the shoes. "You need them more than I do. We can't have you slowing us down."

Biting her trembling lip, Kagome meekly accepted them. After a few more minutes of rest, they went back to walking, making much less progress than Kikyo had projected, due entirely to Kagome. She cried silent tears on their hike, wondering why every time she thought she was doing the right thing, she just made everything a hundred times worse. There was dried leftover boar's meat for their meals, and she chewed her small portion over and over again like a cow with cud, barely able to bring herself to swallow it. Long after darkness fell, they set up camp again. While Kikyo had never been particularly chatty, she was now cold and completely silent, and Kagome spent the night drifting in and out of a restless sleep, crying to herself, holding herself.

It was just like her dream. She was alone.

Fire and itching of her feet woke her. In the early gray light, she pushed aside some of the bandages, just trying to get a peek. Swollen red streaks and a sick yellow color made her feel like retching. When Kagome saw Kikyo coming close to bring her morning rations, she quickly covered them back up, not wanting her to see how even her own body was failing at their new life. Getting to her feet was difficult enough with how stiff she was all over, but now walking was almost impossible. Making her way slowly, Kagome's pain came to nearly unbearable heights before fading to numbness. Soon, she didn't feel anything at all. Sweat covered her body and she alternated between feeling very hot and very cold.

A weight was lifted off her shoulders and she nearly fell over. Kikyo was now holding both their packs, marching ahead with her barely covered feet. Kagome noticed a few now dry tiny bloodstains on the cloth. Stumbling, she tried to catch up with her, normally an impossible task even when she was at her best. Thoroughly ashamed of herself and her weakness, she limped on, ignoring her symptoms until everything went black.

Kagome awoke in a bright place, right on the grassy side of a stream. Her feet tingled and she looked down, noticing more of Kikyo's dress had gone towards bandaging her, only this time there seemed to be a kind of poultice spread beneath. Her sister was a few feet away, collecting water for their canteens. Crawling, she kneeled next to Kikyo, bowing her head.

"I'm sorry." She'd lost track of the number of times she'd said that so far on their journey.

Covered in dirt, her bearing was still entirely regal, and she was every inch a Queen. "No, I'm sorry. You are no soldier. I have been trained for this life, for this hardship. Ever since Mother died, a week out of every month was spent in the forest living like this. Yet you have never even really left the east wing of the castle."

Kagome looked around, feeling reinvigorated by her environment. "We have a good opportunity for a bath here. Look, a hot spring!"

Kikyo snorted. "We have no time for bathing and other luxuries."

Appalled by her sister referring to something as necessary as bathing as a "luxury", Kagome responded, "But you're hurt! And so am I. The springs would relax our muscles and ease our pain. Look, we can't outrun the demons. If they are truly tracking us by scent, then we'll be giving our location away because we both stink to the heavens!"

For a moment, the older woman just stared at her companion, but a quick sniff to her underarm convinced her. Nodding, she went to put their canteens back in their packs. Overjoyed, Kagome hobbled as fast as she could to the springs, nearly ripping her dress off. Just before she jumped in, she remembered to unwrap her bandages, and did so carefully, impressed by how much better her feet looked after being treated with the herbs. Sinking into the best thing that had happened to her in days, Kagome stayed underwater for as long as she was able before coming up for air, careful to keep one hand on a rock she'd use as a seat since the spring seemed frighteningly deep. To her surprise, she was still alone in the water. A quick glance showed that Kikyo was now wringing out some laundry.

"You can do all that later!" she called out.

"Before I can enjoy myself, I must do all that needs to be done."

Feeling guilty, Kagome summoned up an amount of will she didn't know she had and began to climb out of the spring. "I'll help you, and then we can both—" Her hand slipped on the mud and she came crashing down, hitting her head on a rock so hard her teeth rattled. And then she was back in the water, but she couldn't tell which way was up and which way was down. Her lungs burned. She hadn't been able to take a breath before being submerged. Confused and hurt with her consciousness quickly fading, she kicked towards the place she thought was up. The murky water gave her no hints, and her body betrayed her once again, taking in a lungful of spring water.

When Kikyo heard the splash cutting off Kagome's voice, she was on her feet and running before she could even confirm what her mind had jumped to. Shirking her coarse dress until she was left in just the pitifully shapeless smallclothes, she dove into the spring right where the turbulent churning of Kagome's attempts at swimming were occurring. Or at least where they had been. It seemed the moment she touched the water, all action beneath the surface stopped. Knowing that could only mean one thing, she extended her arms as far as they could go, opening her eyes as wide as she could. Where was she? Where was Kagome? Her reaching fingers searched and searched, and soon she felt something soft and smooth brush against her knee.

Skin.

Quickly running out of air herself, Kikyo blindly grabbed at what she knew was her sister and with powerful, sure kicks made her way to the surface. Gasping for breath, she continued without stop and soon had Kagome laid out beside the spring. She was completely still, not taking in air. Kikyo didn't allow herself to give in to the desire to cry and curse the gods. First Suikotsu, now her precious sister? She was trained to resuscitate the drowned, as long as their souls had not been called away by one of the Soul Pipers. Many had reached the point of no return in her experience, but since Kagome had not been down there long, there was still hope.

Placing her lips on Kagome's, Kikyo breathed into her while her hands pumped the prone girl's chest, willing her to live, to be all right. To open her eyes.

There wasn't a way for her to measure how long she tried to call the girl back from the realm of the departed. To Kikyo, it was an eternity. Not stopping in her task, her mind wandered to practical things, unable to help herself from falling back into duty. Like what to do with Kagome's body. There was no way for her to be buried in their homeland, not without risking her capture, and she would never allow those dogs the satisfaction of that. No. She supposed she could tie several of Kagome's long waving raven tendrils of hair to her wrists and jump in the deceptively deep hot springs. If only she had put away the laundry and joined her, this never would have—

A rush of sour water hit Kikyo's face. She blinked and her dark eyes met Kagome's dazed blue ones. Not fully comprehending what was happening, she continued to pump her chest, her lips almost making contact with her sister's again.

"Gods, I'm a mess," Kagome said hoarsely, coughing some more, hard enough that tears leaked from her eyes.

Kikyo's entire body was shaking. She wanted to hold Kagome, to slap her, to knock some sense into her, to scream at her, to lay down beside her and rest.

Sensing her older sister's turbulent emotions and the coming explosion, Kagome unconsciously attempted to manipulate her away from that and meekly laid her head in her lap. Sighing, the weary woman stroked Kagome's wet waves all the way down her neck and shoulders, fingertips lingering on the edges of the lacerated little bump just above her hairline. Alive. The only one in the world she had left to love was alive.

"Suikotsu…" she whispered, her voice faint even though she meant to speak normally. "Suikotsu is dead." Tears burned behind her eyes but she would not let them fall. If she could not be the strong Queen he thought she was and save him, then she would at least mourn him as though she was.

Kagome didn't say a thing, just sat up and put her arms around her. The girl had seen little of Suikotsu and had not guessed at the forbidden depth of feeling that ran between the royal physician and the Queen. Even so, she knew they were very close, best friends, and that he had been so much more than a simple doctor.

"He was a good man," Kagome murmured.

The Queen bit the inside of her cheek until she tasted blood. "There's a change of clothes in the pack. I'll build a fire. Don't want you getting sick."

Visibly wilting at the thought that they were risking exposure to their enemies once again because of her, Kagome obediently dressed, face heating when she realized she'd been naked all that time. Oh well, they were sisters in dire circumstances. In all likelihood, her modesty was going to take a few more blows yet. Glancing at Kikyo, she noticed just how beaten down she looked. Her very soul ached for her. To lose a kingdom, their father, her comrades, her only friend… She looked much older than her years.

In an attempt at cheering her up, Kagome sat beside her and smiled, making sure to put an extra sparkle in her eyes.

"I always thought my first kiss would come from a handsome prince—or Hojo—but I guess I'm okay with it being a beautiful Queen."

Though she didn't look at her, one side of her mouth turned up in a tense but genuine smile, and Kagome was satisfied.

 **O\o/O**

Another day dawned and the bloody sun woke Kagome. She ached less than she had the other mornings, despite her increased sufferings. Maybe she was finally getting used to it? Kikyo had bathed alone some time during the night, and while Kagome did not think a quick dunk had done much to help her own situation, she was not eager to return to the place that had almost been her grave. Without speaking to each other, they set out again, walking up the ever steepening incline. Kikyo had not said why they were headed to the mountains, but Kagome figured that there were many caves they could take shelter in and the paths were few and cramped, some only one person wide, so they would not be confronted by an overwhelming force of Inu. The game would be sparse, though, and the air thin. The soil was rocky, so they would have to forage rather than farm. She hadn't a single idea how to do either.

The quiet seemed almost oppressive. Most of the birds were dead or had flown somewhere warm. Only the occasional whistling of the wind sounded in her ears. It was horrible. Her sister had never been this thoroughly silent before. It made her anxious and upset. Her face was entirely blank, devoid of the small, barely there, beautiful smile she had always sported in the past when they were together. This sister was a stranger. She, Kagome, had done this to her. Made things unnecessarily difficult. For a moment, she tried to tell herself that things would go back to normal once they ceased traveling and found shelter. Kikyo had suffered terribly in that last battle. She hadn't said out loud that Suikotsu had been killed in the war, but Kagome knew it. She had a feeling Kikyo avoided sleeping much because she was tormented by nightmares. When they set out in the morning, her face was covered in tear tracks, and she touched them, surprised.

Kagome squared her shoulders in an attempt at confidence. She was the one who had to be strong, to protect Kikyo in the only way she was currently able. No more whining and protesting against fate. Though she had been torn from the only home she'd ever known and thrust into a nightmare, it must have been so much worse for Kikyo. She would make sure their new life was as smooth as possible. She repeated the words inside her head, her very soul quaking in fear and steadily losing hope. Her brain whispered at her to be strong, but everything else shouted she was weak, would always be weak, and she was dragging Kikyo down with her. Everything was her fault. If they were captured, that would surely be because of her, too.

Meanwhile, Kikyo was feeling deeply disturbed. Kagome was being so quiet. The sister she knew and loved was an unstoppable little chatterbox. Glancing back at the girl, she noticed for perhaps the first time that she was no longer a tiny ball of energy and sunshine. Guilt tore through her. This was her doing. She had failed to protect their kingdom, and now Kagome was suffering for it.

The next day was hell.

Much like the previous day, they were silent and caught up in their own worlds of misery and self-recrimination. They spoke little, smiled not at all. Again, they came to the river. Kikyo's plan had been to zig zag across the river at several sites she knew, making it as difficult as possible for the Inu hunters to find them. This portion of the river wasn't as deep as the ones further down the mountain, coming up only to her thighs (which meant it would be up to Kagome's hips), but it was much, much stronger. The current was hard and fast, almost violent. They'd have to be careful.

Kikyo assumed Kagome would be able to see at first glance what she had observed, not wanting to waste words when they had been traveling slowly and were still so far away from where they had a chance at safety. Stripping, she tied her clothes about her neck and shoulders and proceeded to venture across the river, cautiously and firmly stepping, looking behind to confirm that Kagome was stepping exactly where she had.

The former princess' foot hadn't even made contact with the stones beneath the surface before she was knocked down and carried away by the raging current.

Without a thought, Kikyo tossed her heavy pack somewhere to her side and swam with the current to where she could just make out Kagome's dark head bobbing here and there.

"Go to land!" Kikyo shrieked, not sure if she could even be heard over the sound of the water.

She kicked harder and pushed her way, trying to catch up to Kagome, but she had been given just enough of a head start, her much smaller and lighter frame being dragged away so fast she was like a blur. If she didn't try and grab on to a chunk of grass or a branch or something along the riverside, then Kikyo may very well not catch her in time to avoid her being bashed against the jagged rocks she could just make out far down the river. Urged on by the sight, she doubled her efforts, relief flooding her when Kagome's pale, almost blueish hand thrust out of the water and clutched onto a small root.

The girl didn't have the strength to pull herself out of the water, didn't even have the strength to keep her body still, instead letting herself be pushed by the current while her arm was painfully stretched, anchoring her. Kikyo was by her side in a blink, lifting and shoving her onto land, following in a minute. Kagome didn't seem to have swallowed any water this time, but she did look a little dazed and Kikyo wondered if she'd hit her head again or never quite recovered from the first time. The clothes around her neck and Kagome's were soaked, their change and most of their supplies washed away. Sighing, Kikyo began to wring out her own clothes. At least they were across the river, closer to their goal than before.

"Stay here," Kikyo ordered as she rose to her feet. "I'm going to see if I can salvage any of our things."

Though she searched for over an hour, she returned with almost nothing. Like she had feared would happen to Kagome, their bags had been bashed against the rocks. Caught in a crevice of said rocks she found the distinctive cloth that wrapped her bow and arrows, all intact, her quiver looking a little worse for wear and with a small hole in it just beside them. Other than that, everything was lost or ruined.

Kagome was still lying on her back when she returned, the blue tinge to her skin having only increased. It appeared she had done nothing to try and warm herself, had not even removed the freezing cold and sopping wet clothes from her neck.

"I'm sorry," she whispered without looking at her. There was no emotion in her voice. Kagome was crushed.

Shock made Kikyo fall to her knees. Putting a hand on her sister's shoulder, she attempted a smile. "This wasn't your fault, Kagome. And it may not even end up being that much of a bad thing. The Inu could find our supplies and think we drowned, too. That would get them off our tail for good." When that had no effect on her, she continued, "As long as my precious little sister is safe, I have everything I need."

Kagome let out a sob and nearly knocked Kikyo over with the force of her embrace. The two sisters comforted each other and shared their warmth, glad to at least have love in a world that had gone so suddenly insane.

They were all they needed.

 **O\o/O**

The past week infuriated Inuyasha more than the past six fucking months.

Fucking humans!

Higurashi was far from the first kingdom he had conquered in the quest of Inu going from kingdom to eternal empire. They were strong and so they took. This was their destiny, their duty, and he was its bringer. Ever since Sesshomaru had decided to stay at home like a bitch, it fell to Inuyasha to be the warrior prince his people revered. Though he was a fighter, considered vicious, he had a heart. He truly believed it was for the best of the people of Inu and the people they conquered. They needed protection and technology, which Inu provided in return for military help and taxes. Each kingdom they absorbed was necessary and valued. Even so, in all his years of war and peace, Higurashi was the first kingdom he wanted to wipe from the fucking map.

Even after their king or general or whatever the fuck he was killed himself, even after the queen and the princess abandoned them, even after their fortified pitiful run-down castle was blown to smithereens, even after their military was entirely decimated, the fucking peasants were defying him.

Briefly, it occurred to him that he was dealing with an entire kingdom of fuckers exactly like himself.

Upon recognizing that their country was no more and there was no chance to escape and their only chance of peace was to submit, the peasants, people he had never had to be wary of in any other land, sneaked to the new and larger military headquarters some time during the night and set fire to their storehouses and warehouses. Just like the fucking bitch queen did to the castle. He was still pissed off about losing the statues. They would have made the perfect gift. Now all their food, equipment, and gear was torched and could not be recovered. The minute he had the bright idea of just forcing some of the peasants and wounded to farm instead, his nose twitched, picking up the scent of the fields burning to nothing.

Most of their armor had been stolen and a good number of weapons, melted in forges, reduced to slag. The peasants even burned their own fucking shops to the ground. Any growing land outside the castle walls had been thoroughly salted. He lost several men before he realized the wells were poisoned. The priestesses he had intended to capture, study, and enslave killed themselves, taking the secret of their powers with them. Every single person who had been in a position of authority committed suicide or were killed in attempts to kill an Inu soldier. Every prisoner they somehow managed to take had to be thoroughly and tightly bound or else they'd kill every man he had watching them and free the rest of the prisoners. It happened twice before he just said fuck it and had their entire bodies covered in rope the minute they were captured.

And the fucking peasants. The goddamn fucking _peasants_ had organized themselves into militias and were fighting them using guerilla warfare, taking down elite trained warriors with fucking modified farming tools and improvised weapons. One of his men, a full demon of noble blood, trained from birth to fight and kill, had been murdered by a tiny grizzled old man with a tree branch, right in front of his eyes. Secretly, Inuyasha wished he had soldiers with half the dedication to the empire that Higurashi peasants had to their fallen patch of ruined dirt.

Though every building in the small town seemed abandoned, he knew from experience that, even in burned and crumbling structures, there was someone behind a broken window with a bow just waiting to let loose a slew of arrows, praying Inu soldiers would pass. Every dark alley hid a suicidal psycho with a weapon or barrels that would roll right into a person and explode on impact. Even the fucking _kids_ had made a game of killing or being killed.

All of this was helpful to Sango's anthropological efforts to understand the people of Higurashi, whom no one knew much about. She would go on and on with theories as to their history and gods, blah blah blah. But Inuyasha could sum it up in two statements: These people were obsessed with burning things. Also, these people were batshit fucking crazy.

He began to respect them, which made him wish it was his brother dealing with them instead of himself. That bastard had no emotions and would have had no qualms about killing everyone in the entire kingdom, thus ridding them and the world of the problem for good.

Inuyasha had reached a point where he was seriously tempted to begin having bloody public executions on the regular, but they'd never resorted to that before, which had made post-war life with their newly conquered kingdoms much more peaceful. It might even make the peasants more difficult to deal with. After all, he didn't want to give them martyrs to cling to.

Every last citizen of Higurashi was just as stubborn and just as big of a pain in the ass as their fucking queen, hellions defiant to the end.

After being given another day's worth of depressing reports, Inuyasha sighed and left the briefing, needing to go back to his tent to think, Sango in tow. What the hell was he gonna do? The prisoners they'd taken were now refusing to eat even though they should be grateful they were even being given food when some of his own men went hungry because _the fucking peasants burned the fucking food_. Even more maddening than leaving the food untouched, they were smashing it into the dirt, ruining it, and making hungry men watch. Their stubbornness had reached unreasonable levels. They wouldn't cooperate even for their most basic benefit.

The rest of the morning and afternoon were spent deep in thought. Sango actually started when her prince rose, exiting the tent without even putting on his armor, wearing only his regular clothes and fire rat cape. She followed after him, Kirara still in recovery perched on her shoulder. After the time they'd been having, she knew it was better that she not say anything. Her excitement about actually interacting with the Higurashi people only annoyed him, so she always tried to conceal it. By the set of his shoulders, she could see he was tense and angry. Back at the palace, she was used to calming him down when he got angry (usually because of his brother), but out here it was different. Inuyasha didn't respond to words, only actions, and she was forbidden to touch him the way she needed to. Something about his demeanor now seemed different, anyway. New.

Leaving the huddled tents of the Inu base, they walked into the walled city, passing grumbling soldiers. Inuyasha ignored them all. His target destination: the area where the soldiers who had fallen in the last battle were buried.

It was tradition that Inu soldiers who died in the fight to take a city were buried within that city's walls. They gave their lives for its capture; that land became their land forever. Instead of taking the easy route and dumping them all in one mass grave like many kingdoms did with soldiers fallen far from their homeland, they were each honored with individual graves and markers.

Inuyasha was burying his frustrations with his fallen soldiers.

For as long as Sango had known her prince (had it really been thirteen years?), he was never good at handling stress without a readily available outlet. Usually, that outlet had been her or the scores of women he kept. Often, it had been fighting. Now, it was grave digging. Taking a shovel, Inuyasha began to dig with a king of phlegmatic dedication. She could see the calm wash over him. Wanting to be with him at all times, Sango grabbed a shovel and began to dig as well. Many had fallen, and they needed all the men they could to stand guard and patrol, so many bodies had gone unburied and were starting to stink. Even Kirara helped, transforming into her larger appearance and digging with her paws.

Sango only had eyes for her prince. The flexing muscles under his golden skin made her stomach clench, the very same reaction she'd had when she first saw him as a girl of fifteen. Inuyasha's brow was no longer furrowed and he seemed at peace thanks to the temporary distraction. The two of them worked late into the night and into the morning, hardly stopping to rest until the last soldier was buried. Being a warrior and raised among her tribe as well as the Inu, Sango was far more capable than a normal human woman of such a task.

Both exhausted, they returned to his tent. Sango was grateful for being so worn out. This way, she would not struggle to sleep, plagued with desire for the man she could never really have.

To the soldier guarding the tent, Inuyasha said, "None of the prisoners are to be given any food until I say otherwise." Maybe that would make them more cooperative. Or at least too weak to give anyone any trouble.

After a long and deserved rest, Inuyasha woke to see Sango on the bed beside him, curled on her side. Cursing softly, he picked her up, carrying her to her own cot. After everything, he wasn't going to get them caught just because he decided it would be a good idea to tire them out digging the graves of people he probably wouldn't even recognize were he to be confronted with their faces. She woke as he set her down and he realized she had probably been awake for a while, since she always woke before him, as though she was so attuned to him and his body that her own body anticipated it.

"The sun has not yet risen, but it shouldn't be too long now," she murmured. "A few people came seeking an audience with you, but I sent them away. The prison guards are waiting on your orders concerning feeding the prisoners. They're wondering why we went through the trouble of capturing them at all if we're just going to let them starve instead of torturing them for information."

Inuyasha was only half-listening. His eyes were on her lips, and then her throat where it was partially hidden in her leather suit. Reaching out to peel it off of her, he was brought back to reality when she slapped his hand away.

"We cannot risk that kind of activity until we are back in the capital," she said coldly. Her face colored. "And I won't be with you like that when you haven't even bathed in two days."

He snorted. "Not like you've been smelling of roses, either."

Sango glared and he sighed, rolling his eyes as he marched off to get clean.

When he was finished and dressed in his best, he went to the command tent and waited for the unit commanders and others to gather. When they walked in, bitter expressions on their faces, he attacked before they could even start.

"Oshira, Kita, Mori, Sasaki, you and your men will be repairing everything worth repairing in town. Find the largest building and get it up and running. That will be our new base, a proper base. Ishikawa, Hisakawa, you take your men and make a map of Higurashi and the surrounding areas. Mark any usable resources, intact buildings, roads. You know." When they just stared at him, he bared his fangs at them and snarled, "Now!"

They jumped to obey.

"Morozawa, you and Hachimitsu take Junko with you back into town and try and weed out the fuckers that keep fighting us. Make sure it's safe, check the buildings one by one. Every floor, every room, every fucking crawlspace, you will check them _all_."

They bowed and left.

"The rest of you," he said, getting to his feet and pacing before the men, "will be split into four groups. Group one," he said, pointing to several exhausted dog-demons, "you will go to the forest and start cutting down trees. We need timber if we're going to rebuild. Group two, transport the prisoners to the building we secured in town yesterday. Make sure you watch them closely and carefully so they don't fuck shit up. Group three, take down camp and set it up again within the city walls. Those fuckers need to know we're here for good and it's all ours." He took a deep breath and stood before the small cluster of men left. "Your job is the most important, group four. Go out into the forest and hunt. As a reward for the successful capture of Higurashi, we will have a feast. Triple salary goes to whoever brings back the most meat. You have two days. Get goin'."

Motioning to a little man by the tent flaps, obviously unsure of why he was there, Inuyasha said, "Write a letter to my brother and take it to him. We need workers to get Higurashi up and running again. Supplies, too. The stupid fucking barbarians destroyed their own fucking fields and we won't be able to last another month on what we have left."

A small amount of relief making his tense muscles relaxed now that all that was taken care of, Inuyasha left the tent without another word, heading for the old barn where the prisoners were being kept. As always, Sango shadowed him, posture alert, on the lookout for even the slightest sign that someone was intent on harming her prince.

"The city's pretty much ours," Inuyasha said to her, feeling a little exasperated. "There's no need to keep following me. If I can't take care of myself at this point, then I don't deserve my station."

"It is my duty to remain at your side guarding your person always and forever, my prince," Sango answered, formally enough that he knew she was upset at his trying to dismiss her.

He snorted and glanced at her teasingly. "You just don't want to do any of the real work around here."

She smirked. "Nothing would please this one more than to assist the mighty Inu empire in rebuilding their new territory. Ah me, if only I were free to haul loads of timber and stone, carrying crates of supplies on my back for a mile and more to help keep this steaming mess going. But no, my prince, I am sworn to keep you safe, and your safety means more to the Inu empire than a restored bakery in the backwater of the modern world."

Not liking her acting like he was helpless, Inuyasha glared at her. Things always started to go downhill when they hadn't fucked in a while. "Well then, you—"

"It is also my personal duty to not give you the chance to pick one of the more comely female prisoners and take her for 'questioning'. If I'm suffering, so are you."

Of course she'd seen through his plan. The barn he was heading towards was where the female prisoners were kept. There were more of them than of the men. Most of the men were dead or still fighting, leaving the women who hadn't also taken up arms at the mercy of their enemies. The male prisoners, few though they were, were kept in the cellar of the house by the barn. Their punishments were far more severe and Inuyasha preferred not to be involved with them. Battle was one thing, a thing he relished in, but torturing an already subdued enemy? Pointless and lacking in satisfaction.

"I _do_ have a real reason to come here, you know," he said once on the path leading directly to their destination. At her questioning look, he continued, "Those statues. In the fortress. They were so perfect. And since as far as I can tell the men do little around here but for politics and war and farming, I figured maybe a woman made them."

Sango nodded, eyes lit with an intellectual excitement. "Yes, I was wondering about those too. They seemed almost at odds with the rest of the culture. Everything is so plain and functional and boring, so any imaginative art would seem striking, but those statues were so realistic they'd be sought after even back in Inu."

Realistic wasn't exactly the word he'd use. They were far too perfect to be found in anything human. Beautiful, untouchable women… He felt his breeches tighten.

"Women," he sneered. "Never saw a kingdom with its head so far up pussy."

Sango rolled her eyes. "Well, they seem to be a matriarchy."

"They've got a king, though!"

"The people speak of him not as a king, but as a general. It is their queen who rules, and she does it alone."

He'd called them a matriarchy before as a joke and hadn't seriously thought they really were. Snorting at the very thought of a woman ruling a country by herself, Inuyasha marched past the guards without even sparing them a glance. Once the doors closed behind him, it was dark in the barn, with only a few rays of light coming in from the weathered boards that made up the ceiling. His eyes adjusted right away, and he coolly observed the state of the prisoners. Bound in chains once used for farm work, they lay on filthy, soiled piles of hay. Dirty women. Ragged women. Hopeless women. None of them at all like the statues. To their credit, none of them shrieked or cried or pleaded. There were a few muttered insults, but those he'd let slide.

With a grin reserved only for his enemies, he said, "You're going to tell me what I want to know, or I will march _all of you_ naked to the capital, on foot the entire way, and sell you to the lowest bidder at the slave markets."

Of course he wouldn't do that. They wouldn't be worth the cost of feeding them along the journey. Only healthy slaves were ever bought. But they didn't know that, and now they were all at attention, the thought of public shame more frightening than the thought of a horrible death.

"Good. Now, I'm looking for whoever made those statues. The giant ones of the women in the fortress, lining that hallway."

The women seemed upset that the information he sought was so trivial, and the fear he'd inspired evaporated. Grumbling to themselves, some even went so far as turning their backs or lying down on the sodden hay.

"Look," he growled, "you're a conquered people. It's done. It's over. Your army is dead and scattered, your queen abandoned you to save her own selfish ass. Whoever gives me the information will be rewarded with baths and an extra meal per day, while the person who made the statues, if verified to be legitimate, will then serve the royal family of Inu and live out the rest of their lives in luxury."

A hush settled over the group.

"You're fresh out of luck, dog. The priestesses were the sculptors and the artists, and you've slaughtered them all."

Inuyasha refused to accept that. "You're not protecting anyone. The artisan will be treated kindly. Remember that it is my word alone that stops the lot of you from being picked over by my soldiers. If you're attractive, you can warm a dog demon's bed until he gets tired of you. If you're not, you will be sold as slaves to any brothel we come across on our journey homeward." He paced, hands behind his back, in front of the women, glaring at each of them. "They may use you for cleaning and cooking. But some of them are creative. I wouldn't want to know of what they think up for your fate."

The brothels of the Western world were notoriously fearsome. True, they turned out the best whores, but that was only because they traveled the world and every pretty little girl they spied was taken the instant she was left unsupervised. For years, they were trained to please, and once they reached maturity (though there were more than a few cases of impatient customers offering amounts of coin that could not be refused), night after night they were taken by any man who could afford their time and skill.

The women didn't know that in the past ten years measures had been taken to combat this and were quite effective. Wherever the Inu empire went, they brought their laws and own version of morality. Despite the death and destruction war brought, they did their best to make their absorbed lands a better place.

"We've told you the truth," another woman said. "The craft was kept secret and taught only to priestesses."

A woman—more of a girl, really—in the far corner caught his eye. Wringing her bound hands, she was attempting (unsuccessfully) to secretly glance around the room. The women in her immediate vicinity were very concentrated on not looking at her. With her matted hair that still managed to show some signs of poofy curls, dirt-covered skin that was smudged enough in some places to reveal her natural sallowness, and awkward shape that had her looking like she somehow was still going through puberty when her face showed more years, she wasn't much to look at.

"You," Inuyasha directed at her, knowing he had not made a mistake when she jumped and let loose a small scream. The faces of the women around her changed from defiant to worried. "Name, age, occupation."

"A-A-Ayumi. Twenty-two. Um, nothing."

"Nothing?" he asked, almost amused. He'd questioned enough prisoners in Higurashi to know that, much like in the tradition of Sango's people, unmarried women were expected to work alongside men as equals. Unlike in Sango's traditions, women were forced into marriage at twenty-five. If a husband could not be found, they were matched with a man who agreed to breed them, even if he was already married to another. If after five years of trying (with a new partner each year) they could not conceive, she was unsexed, meaning forced to live life as a man, which was somehow a great dishonor. Usually, those women turned to farming in isolation or suicide.

Now the women around Ayumi were glaring at her, trying to silence her.

Obviously feeling ganged up on, she frantically looked around her, eyes wide and frightened. "Nothing! I'm being honest!"

Grabbing her by the hair, Inuyasha brought her off her feet, making her look him in the eye. "Are you a priestess? A coward priestess like your queen?" he growled, bringing her in close. "Tell me the truth or you'll service the entire Inu army in one night."

"I'm not a priestess!" she gasped, tears running down her face. "Gods above, I'm not a priestess, but I was supposed to be!"

Now that was interesting. He set her down on her feet but still kept hold of her. Head cocked to one side, he asked, "Supposed to be?"

"Don't say a word, Ayumi!" a woman who had been sitting near her shouted, murder in her eyes. "Betraying the Queen calls for stoning and we will not hesitate to make right your wrong in the eyes of the gods."

Giving them a tight smile, Inuyasha broke in on what would no doubt be a very long, angry rant. "Guess what, Ayumi, you've just been claimed." Hauling her over her shoulder, he flinched at her shriek. "Hope you know how to clean and shit, because you're stinking up my clothes." Striding out the door, he held one hand up, middle finger on display.

Sango, who had remained silent even though he knew it must have been incredibly hard on her, hissed in his ear the moment they were out of the guards' earshot.

"What in all the hells were you thinking?! You can't just claim a woman right now! It's too soon. The soldiers will be angry."

Inuyasha shrugged, the action made only a fraction more difficult by the weight of the girl on his shoulder. "It's not like she's for sex, Sango. I doubt any of them would have chosen her, anyway. This bitch knows something and I'm gonna find out. Also, I need a maid, because you're a shitty fuckin' housekeeper."

While his shadow did that thing where she inhaled for ten, exhaled for ten, Inuyasha said to his slave, "After a bath, you'll be given a new set of clothes. Then you'll dine with me and tell me everything you know."

"Please don't rape me please don't rape me _please don't rape me_ —" she chanted hysterically.

The half-demon almost laughed. "I've never wanted or hated a woman bad enough to rape her, and I certainly don't want to fuck a weak scarecrow like you. I told ya, just tell me what I need to know and be my maid."

The poor girl probably didn't hear him through her sobs, so he sighed and continued to the tent in silence.

Immediately upon entering camp, he hailed one of the soldiers left behind to guard and handed Ayumi over to him, warning him not to harm her and giving him instructions to see her bathed and clothed, as well as sending a message to the chef to make him the best meal he could manage, for two. Sighing, he retreated to his tent with Sango.

"You didn't have to take that girl, you know," she said, mild jealousy infecting her tone. He rolled his eyes. "Now she can never go back to her people and remain alive. She probably doesn't even know anything."

"She knows something, all right. And those women she was with would have killed her the minute we left, just 'cause I noticed her. They wouldn't be able to stone her, sure, but they could easily have strangled her or beaten her."

"You're such a mama's boy," she said, suddenly teasing. "Going to all this trouble just to get the queen a present."

Inuyasha scowled. "I am not! This is important for historical and artistic and anthropological reasons. It is my duty as a conqueror to document the conquered—"

Sango snorted. "You pissed on the sacred salt statues of the Southern tribes just two years ago."

He shrugged. "I don't like modern art."

"They were over five thousand years old!"

"Keh, whatever. These statues would have been from the most difficult conquest so far in my career. They were _important_."

Her face softened. "Was this for the queen or the emperor?"

He turned his back to her and began organizing messages. "They were for me."

"You know there's a way to get time with your father, Inuyasha. All you have to do is—"

He threw the papers down, not noticing or caring when some fell to the floor, disorganized. "I'm not letting him run my life like that!"

Sango sighed and watched him write out some message to whoever. This was a conversation they'd been having ever since she first became his sworn protector. In the Inu empire, males were boys until they took a woman to wife. Men and children seldom interacted. Until a boy proved himself and became a man, his father would have very little to do with him. At twenty-eight, Inuyasha was well past the marrying age for most males. His brother, the Crown Prince Sesshomaru, had married at nineteen for the sole reason of becoming a man, and was now thirty. He and his father shared a very close relationship, but Sango could tell it was all political business, with no real depth. In her opinion, the king sought a relationship with his younger son who did nothing but rebuff him. By the standards of their country, Inuyasha and Toga were very close, seeing that they communicated by letter once a week and had special audiences every other week when both were in the palace. The fact that he had been allowed to lead conquests in the first place, him being both only half-demon and still technically a boy, was a testament to his father's affection.

There was truth to her statement that he was a mama's boy, though. Izayoi was…an unusual woman, but Inuyasha adored her and she him. Not being able to remember her mother, Sango envied him that closeness, but still liked to tease him about it.

They spent the next hour in silence, her polishing her weapons and Inuyasha grumbling to himself over paperwork. Sango tried hard not to let her heart warm at how very domestic the scene felt to her. Those womanly feelings had to be banished if she were to be a proper warrior.

"My lord, your slave is here. Dinner will arrive shortly." The soldier that had been ordered to see to Ayumi's needs took off quickly, eager to stop babysitting.

Inuyasha rose to his feet and inspected the girl closely. Now that she was cleaned up, she finally looked more human than rat. Her hair was fully in poofy curls and the plain dress she wore enhanced her malnourished body. Gesturing to his dining table, he watched her carefully seat herself, warily glancing all around the tent as though an ambush of soldiers was waiting to tear her apart. Though the bath had calmed her, she was still fragile. He just hoped she'd answer his questions. Sitting down across from her, he was grateful when a slave came bearing two trays. It was always so much less annoying to talk to people when he had food in front of him.

"So," he began, digging into the scrawny chicken that was better than he'd hoped for, "what do you know about the statues?"

Ayumi was too busy stuffing her mouth with food to respond immediately. Once she'd crammed a few more bites into her mouth and was well on her way to being finished, she seemed to recover herself, and actually blushed. In her nervousness, she downed an entire glass of undiluted wine. He filled her goblet up again.

"Um… I don't?"

Calmly, he tore the chicken into small pieces. "Remember what I said about servicing the entire army?"

She sighed. "I'm really not going to be able to go back home, am I?"

"None of you are. Higurashi is a town, no longer a kingdom. Your homes have been destroyed." At the despairing look on her face, he said, "But when I go, I'll take you with me to the palace. There are a ton of servants there, so there won't be much for you to do, but it's better than this shithole."

Slowly, she began to eat again, taking a big gulp of the strong drink. "I'm not a priestess. All the priestesses are dead. Including my mother and my sisters." Her eyes began to tear. Obviously this girl hadn't inherited the stoicism of her people.

"But I thought all women from priestess bloodlines are automatically priestesses?"

"Usually, but sometimes… Sometimes, there are girls like me. It's seen as a curse from the gods. But there are rumors the princess is like me, so maybe it's not? Or maybe the gods wanted this to happen to Higurashi…"

"Stay on topic. What about the statues?" Acting disinterested, he filed away the tidbit about the young princess. Maybe if he acted like he believed the queen and princess were dead and therefore didn't matter, she'd let more information slip.

"My mother hated me and kept me from learning a trade, saying the gods had made me worthless and worthless I should remain. But my sisters took pity on me and they taught me."

"Taught you what?" he was irritated by the dreamy expression on her face and her airhead tendencies.

She smiled. "Sculpting."

"Can you make the statues like I saw in the palace?"

"The Hall of Princesses?" she asked. Suddenly, she looked nervous. "Um, well, I was barely taught, and um, usually we're not allowed to really sculpt big things until we're twenty-five, and the Hall of Princesses was started hundreds of years ago and there's a great lot of skill needed—"

"Hall of Princesses?" Nose wrinkling in confusion, he said, "I thought they were goddesses."

Ayumi giggled and finished the rest of her wine. "No, goddesses don't have corporeal forms," she told him like he was an idiot. "But the princesses are beautiful. I only saw the Hall a few times, but my oldest sister told me only the most beautiful and heroic princesses of Higurashi were memorialized there. The Queen wanted her sister's statue to go there once she was married and she asked my sister to begin sketching." She swelled with pride. "I even got to sit in on one of the sketches once!"

Everything inside him went still and it was all he could do to continue to eat his meal nonchalantly. "So you saw the princess? Did you get to see the queen?"

Ayumi shrugged. "Kinda. We all get to see her from far away during parades, but only her closest advisors and servants—and the princess—get to see her up close and without her armor. Can I have more potatoes?"

Inuyasha dumped the rest of his food onto her plate, watching her tear into it. Mildly grossed out, he refilled her glass.

"History is important to the Inu. With every conquest, especially the difficult ones, we put down everything we've learned of the conquered people into a book." This was true, though he didn't really care. The idea came to him suddenly. "We don't know what any of the royal family looked like, and we prefer to have portraits for our records. Now that the queen and princess and, um, general are dead—"

The silverware clattered to the plate with a loud noise, making him flinch. "The Queen is dead!?" Ayumi wailed, face ashen. "And the princess!? Oh gods, but she was so sweet and kind—"

Before she devolved into hysterics, Inuyasha broke in, "Do you think you could sketch me a picture of the princess?"

Ayumi continued to try. "I-I-I'm not good at draaawiiing!" she sobbed.

Inuyasha grit his teeth in annoyance. "Do you think that you could perhaps describe her to an artist?"

"I'm bad at wooooords!"

Taking a deep breath, he said, "Could you possibly sculpt her, maybe?"

"M-m-maybe." Ayumi sniffled and attempted to compose herself. "My sister would want me to. And the princess deserves to have her own Hall of Princesses statue." She nodded, drying the last of her tears. "If I have enough time to practice, I can definitely do it."

"Do you think you can make it realistic?" Inuyasha asked, trying not to appear too eager. "I know some artists prefer idealism, but this is for history and must be naturalistic."

"Oh, I doubt the princess's looks could be improved upon. She was the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen. And so nice." A tear leaked out the corner of her eye and she blew her nose on the cloth napkin.

Inuyasha fought the urge to roll his eyes. He'd seen what passed for beauty in Higurashi. "I'll provide you with all the tools and materials you'll need, then. But until we get to the palace, you're to continue being my maid. Can't exactly let you stay here for free."

Sango came over to the party, arms loaded with laundry, both hers and his. Dumping it in the lap of the slightly tipsy girl, she said, "Please have these washed, dried, and folded by morning."

In a daze, Ayumi rose to her feet, clutching the haphazard pile of laundry. Nodding at both of them, she hiccupped, swayed, and left the room. They could hear her asking directions to the washing area.

Inuyasha sighed. "Just had to show her her place, didn't ya? I was planning on letting her sleep it off."

Sango shrugged. "It's better she learns now."

Already not listening, the half-demon grabbed a pen and paper from his desk, writing excitedly. "Father's going to lose his shit! We're one step closer to finding those bitches. Gods, I wish I could see the look on Sesshomaru's stupid fucking face…"

Smiling at him indulgently, Sango readied his bed, knowing it would be a while before he wound down enough to sleep.

 **O\o/O**

Kagome tried not to think about it, but she couldn't help but sigh at the thought that it had been three weeks since she'd last slept in a bed. Three weeks since she'd last been warm. Three weeks since she'd last had a proper bath, eaten a proper meal, worn proper clothes. She was beginning to feel so depressed that she wished Hojo would come and find her. Ever since they were kids he'd seemed to have some sort of built-in Kagome tracker, finding her even in her best hiding places when she attempted to ditch him on one of his visits. Kikyo had said they couldn't inconvenience Hekigan with their presence, but she knew Hojo would protect her. The Alliance of Free Human Kingdoms was the only force that could go up against the Inu empire, and Hekigan was one of the main powers behind it. Her weeks of misery making her forget how much contempt she'd felt for the boy, Kagome began to long for him the way she'd once longed for some faceless Prince Charming to save her from him.

Every night, she slept entwined with Kikyo, for both emotional reasons and warmth. They were making their way down the other side of the mountain, having found out that most of the caves were homes to animals they'd rather not have to fight. They were both hopeful that they'd been assumed dead and the suffering and exhaustion and near-starvation had convinced them that it was the truth. Who would have been able to survive the explosion, the forest, the river, _and_ the mountains? Certainly not two royal women all by themselves.

For the past couple days, Kagome's hopes had been pinned on the small town she could see at the base of the mountain. It wasn't as small as a village, but not as large as a city (or what she'd assumed cities looked like), just a trading town by the river. As they got closer, she realized what she had taken for a tiny settlement was even bigger than Higurashi. The world was so much larger than she'd ever thought. Once again lamenting her stupidity at rejecting Hojo, she wondered how large his kingdom was and if she'd ever see it. She'd never seen the ocean, and Kaede had told her that where Hojo lived was surrounded by ocean. Rich in timber, precious metals, and culture, Hekigan had unfortunately chosen for the royal family to marry their cousins for generations. While Hojo was passably handsome, she realized in retrospect, he was weak and foolish. That was why she had been chosen as his bride. Higurashi was known for its strong and hearty people. Their warriors were feared far and wide, and with her marriage, Hekigan would have received troops, which they no doubt would have bred with their own women, forcing their children to train night and day until they were machines. But all Kagome cared about was wearing pretty dresses and dancing at balls again, no matter the cost.

Carefully, she decided to broach the subject. "Um, Kikyo, what do you think about that town down there?"

"I don't," Kikyo grunted, swatting away a low-hanging branch, carefully holding it back for Kagome.

"But we need supplies! We don't have anything anymore, and relying on nature to feed us hasn't been going so well." Her stomach growled, backing her up. "And we don't have shoes. These leaves don't really protect us."

Kikyo sighed. "Kagome, it's not like Higurashi everywhere else. Even places ruled by humans are demon-inhabited."

"But there are humans there, too, aren't there? That means we won't stand out. We'll be safe."

Her face began to show signs of giving in, or at least thinking about it. "I don't know if I can mute my energy enough to appear normal and still have enough left over should we get in trouble…"

"You have coin sewn into the lining of your dress, right? For emergencies? Well, this is an emergency. We can't go on like this! Not without a few things to help our way."

Brow creased in thought, Kikyo said, "We'll see," and continued walking down the mountain.

Outwardly, she remained calm, but on the inside Kagome was rejoicing over the prospect of being in a town around actual people again. Haggling over their much needed supplies might take a while, maybe she could convince Kikyo to get them a room at an inn? She almost squealed out loud in excitement, reminding herself that nothing was certain, that they might not even go at all.

Meanwhile, Kikyo was pondering all the possible ways this trip could go wrong, and there were many. She'd had no contact with the world since she'd taken Kagome and run. There was no way for her to know if they were being hunted. The Inu empire did not like surviving independent royalty. Unless complete and total submission was shown, usually by giving one's children as ambassadors, meaning hostages, to the Inu capitol until they came of age and were married to an empire-approved individual. Since Kikyo had no children, that left Kagome to be led like a lamb to the slaughter straight to the heart of the Inu empire. But she doubted they'd give her that option. She'd resisted. She'd gone to war with them. Usually, the Inu gave their intended conquests the choice of whether to pay them tribute and the aforementioned hostage deal, but the only communication she'd received was to surrender and lay her crown down at the foot of the army. That, of course, was unacceptable. So she'd fought, knowing she could never win, but knowing her people wouldn't accept any other course of action.

The sleepy little town may look safe, but what if there were already Inu soldiers there, on the lookout for two young women traveling together? She'd done her best to collect a variety of gold and silver coins from countries other than Higurashi, but what if she'd messed up and took one by accident and some merchant connected the dots and reported them? But then there was Kagome to consider. She was right, they did need supplies. She was not confident in her ability to find a steady supply of game at this time of year, and the roots she'd dug up several days ago weren't going to last them for long and there didn't seem to be any other edible ones in these parts, not ones she recognized, anyway. And Kagome wanted to go. She'd seen her little sister wilt these past few weeks. She was someone who needed to be around people. It hurt her heart to see it.

She decided to take a chance.

"We will travel to the town in the morning," she announced, her eyes judging the distance and time it would take them to get there. It was nearing sunset now and she figured they might as well rest. "But you need to understand some rules first." Sitting down at the base of a large tree, she patted the ground next to her, smiling softly when Kagome eagerly snuggled next to her. "I would rather you wait outside the town while I went in to purchase what we need, but I don't want to leave you alone. I love you dearly, Kagome, and you know that, but let's be honest: you're not built for the outdoors."

Kagome snorted. "That's an understatement."

Idly toying with the girl's hair, Kikyo said, "We could disguise ourselves. Just in case. Perhaps I could tie a strip of cloth around your eyes, pretend you're blind… But the blind are usually beggars, and people may wonder where a couple of beggars found so much coin."

"I don't think we need to go that far," Kagome chirped. "We're dressed like poor peasants, and we've obviously been through some hard times. We could use fake names and pretend we're running from arranged marriages. Maybe we took our dowry with us."

"That's a good idea." Kikyo was pleased that the light was coming back to her sister's eyes.

"I'll be Kaede," Kagome said quietly, already drifting off to sleep.

She kissed her forehead. "I'll be Hana." It was the name she always used when she went out in disguise among her people. "One more thing. Never lie in a demon's presence. Just be vague. Many, though not all, kinds of demons can smell lies. If, for example, a demon asks where we're from, say the East. If they ask why we left, just say you couldn't bear it there any longer and so you ran away. If they ask your name, you can tell them you are 'Kaede'. That is to be your name from now on, so it is no lie. Names are not facts, they are gifts."

Kagome nodded against her shoulder, drifting into slumber. Kikyo sighed, hoping she'd remember. Oh well, they'd have time to go over it again in the morning. The younger girl slept on, peaceful and having happy dreams. Meanwhile, the older sister slept fitfully, stomach in knots. She'd have to be careful, be beyond careful, to protect Kagome. Or else what was all her hard work for?

In the morning, after a rinse of their faces with leaves wet with morning dew, they set out hand in hand for the town. Kikyo coached her, sometimes pretending to be a human, sometimes a demon. Kagome answered her in a chipper voice, practically skipping to their destination. She messed up a few times, nothing too serious. Kikyo could see that she was just out-of-her-mind excited at the idea of the little town.

Finally, they reached the gates of the town. Kikyo's pride hurt at the sight. They were bigger than the ones of Higurashi. She'd had big plans for her kingdom, but now they would never come to fruition. It would forever remain a backwater stronghold, soon lost to memory. Two demons guarded the gate.

"What business have you here?"

Kikyo held up the handful of coins she'd removed from her dress the night before. "A night's lodging and a day's shopping."

Kagome stared, mouth open, at the guards. All thoughts of Hojo having been handsome were knocked out of her head. These men were, well, _wow_. Tall and muscled, skin that glowed, hair that shone, eyes unnatural colors… If she had begun to drool, it wouldn't have surprised her. It was her first time really seeing a demon. The ones attacking Higurashi had been wearing helmets, so it was a mystery if all of them were as attractive as these two.

"What're ya staring at, human?" the one on the right sneered, looking at her like she was an ugly little bug.

She flinched back. "N-nothing. Sorry."

"You may pass," the other one said, following it up with a yawn.

The gates opened for them and Kikyo's hold on Kagome's arm was almost hard enough to bruise.

"Ow!" she whined as soon as the gates closed behind them.

"You need to be careful," the former Queen whispered, glancing around her. "Most places have humans and demons living together side by side. Only Higurashi and a few demon settlements aren't integrated. You can't just gape at them like you've never seen a demon before."

"I'm sorry!" she murmured. "It was my first time. I didn't think they'd be so…beautiful." Her attention was captured by the town, in particular a young woman walking leisurely through the town square playing a lovely melody on a flute. The tune was infectious, and soon Kagome's hips began to sway. Her feet moved in dance steps as Kikyo pulled her along, barely glancing at the musician.

The older woman noticed that there was something off about the song, something a little too bewitching. It made her stomach turn and her skin crawl. The woman playing the flute paid them no mind, simply continuing with her melody. Her concentration was broken by the sound of Kagome's delighted laughter. She hadn't heard it so genuine since the start of the war. Reminded of what she was here for, she led her sister to where she could see the market stalls, ushering her away from the melody.

The market was busy, much more crowded than the one at Higurashi, with items neither sister had seen before. Demons and humans all crowded around hoping for a good deal. There were carts and horses and a variety of smells both pleasant and unpleasant. Kagome's head was turning around every which way, lips parted in awe as she tried to take in all the new things. On the corner were a group of women wearing hardly anything. Kikyo tried to direct Kagome's attention to more polite goings-on, but the girl kept glancing back.

"Fashion is so different outside Higurashi!" she whispered in fascination.

"Um, those women are… Never mind." Now was not the time to explain prostitution to her innocent sister.

After surveying the market, Kikyo walked down the main street to a building that prominently advertised its function as an inn. Three coins, all copper, bought them a room until morning, a gross overcharge in Kikyo's opinion, but it made Kagome happy. Taking the key, they walked up the stairs, Kikyo glaring at the men who were staring at her little sister, who didn't even notice them. Locking the door to their room behind them, she could only hope it was secure. Kikyo leaned against it and released the breath she hadn't been aware she was holding.

Kagome released a happy little scream and jumped on the bed, hugging the pillows and rolling on the blankets.

"I don't even care that the blankets are itchy and the mattress feels like a rock! I'm so happy!" she squealed in delight.

Kikyo smiled. "At least bathe before getting in bed."

Kagome wrinkled her nose. "Oh no, I'm stinking everything up!"

It broke her heart to see how happy her sister was when in just one day they'd go back to sleeping outdoors. Following the girl to the bathroom, she watched Kagome strip and kneel in the hip tub. Acting as servant without complaint, Kikyo poured the room temperature water over Kagome's head, handing her a hard yellowish bar of soap.

"One day, we'll get everything back, Kagome," she promised. "When enough time has passed, I can go back to our people and lead a resistance. And maybe the Alliance will help us."

Kagome sighed and scrubbed at her scalp. "They'll definitely help as soon as I marry Hojo."

Kikyo wondered whether she should tell Kagome that she'd have very little value as a woman without a home or title or dowry. It was true Hojo was obsessed with her, but she was not sure that would be enough to allow a marriage between the two. The best she could hope for was being his official mistress, and that might be enough to have him contribute soldiers to her cause.

"Kikyo?" Kagome suddenly asked, turning to her with wide eyes. "Do you think Hojo and Kaede are okay?"

The girl had asked the same question nearly every day. Privately, Kikyo thought Kaede to certainly be dead. Hojo had about a fifteen percent chance of survival. His guards were dedicated, since they were bound not only by oath but by blood since they were also distant relatives, however she was not sure they could have fought their way through the Inu chaos.

"Hojo must be okay," she said with all the confidence she did not feel. "If he wasn't, don't you think the Alliance would have launched a full scale war against the Inu? And yet we haven't heard anything about war since we came here. And Kaede's too tough to die. She'd fight her way back from the netherworld just to get one more punch in."

Kagome giggled and Kikyo spent the next hour doting on her, trying to make her feel like a princess again. When she was clean and sparkling, Kikyo went downstairs and requested a fresh dress, paying a whole silver coin for it. It wasn't anything even remotely like what Kagome was used to, but it was leagues better than what she'd been wearing. Making due with her same old dress, Kikyo bathed herself and allowed Kagome to take a little nap. Their dinner came to their room, rough dark bread with a thick stew that was filling but not enjoyable. They fell to ravenously, the warm meal reviving them and making them feel human again. Even though it was early, the two sisters went to sleep, exhausted and happy to be warm.

In the morning, Kikyo rose a little after the sun, something which had become a luxury. Kagome stirred and mumbled something, rubbing her eyes and watching Kikyo rise and dress.

"I'm going out to get some supplies," the older girl said calmly, trying to avoid a tantrum. "You'll need to stay here in the room until I come back, then we will go out together should you want to."

Kagome pouted and Kikyo almost wanted to cover her ears, remembering the terrible temper she'd had as a small child.

"Why can't I come with you?"

"It's not safe."

"But why? No one knows us here!"

"Stay. In. The room," Kikyo said in a low voice, making herself appear angrier than she actually felt.

It worked and the girl went back under the blanket, face screwed up in childish anger. "When will you be back?"

"As soon as I can."

Kagome sighed when the door closed. Even though they'd left the castle and suffered in the forest, how was life almost the same for her? She still wasn't allowed outside. She'd never been able to see Higurashi unless she was carried in a palanquin, and then she could only see the main street they paraded her down. Was she going to spend her entire life shut behind doors? Bored, she moved to the window. The sellers were already set up, attempting to hawk their wares. Not having anything better to do, she attempted to track who was the most successful of them. For untold hours, she attempted to amuse herself with this, and only gave up on it working around midday.

Then thoughts of Kikyo entered her head, anxiety creeping up on her. What if there was a secret reason she had told her to stay in the room? What if she'd realized someone was following them and had led them away? Or, even worse, what if Kikyo had left her here, all alone, because she was so hopeless at surviving that she figured the kinder thing would be to abandon her in a town and leave her at the mercy of strangers?

That beautifully bewitching melody she'd heard before was drifting past her, somewhere outside her room. Rushing to the window, she saw the woman from before gliding through the streets, playing her flute like it was the only thing in the world that mattered. It melted all her fears away and she sighed, letting it warm her soul and soothe her. But the tune began to drift away again and the bad feelings came back. Even knowing that she had been told to stay in the room and how angry her sister would be should she return and find her gone could not prevent her from stealing away and going outside, drawn to the song like a moth to a flame.

The woman was seated on the edge of a marble fountain in what Kagome took to be the middle of the town square. Feeling shy, she watched from a distance. She had no coin to give the performer, but she still wanted to hear. To her surprise, the woman stopped playing for a second and smiled at her.

"Come sit with me, child. I'll play you a special song."

Blushing, Kagome did as told, her pride second to her desire to hear the music. Once she was seated, the woman began to play again, this time a tune that was slower, gradually increasing in tempo. It was passionate and heartbreaking and it wound its way around her body and entered her heart through her ears, making her feel warm. It was completely addictive and she sat there until the square emptied, leaving just the two of them together under the light of the setting sun.

"What is your name, my child?"

"Kaede," she replied a bit too enthusiastically. Biting her lip, she reminded herself to act natural.

"And how did you come to be here? You have the look of a foreign land."

Remembering their cover story, she looked at the ground, a part of her hating to lie to the woman who had given her so much pleasure.

"I am from the East. I ran away from an arranged marriage and now here I am."

Concern came over her beautiful face. "And are you here all by yourself?"

She shook her head. "My sister ran away, too."

Nodding, she smiled. "Do you intend to settle here?"

Biting her lip again, she looked away again. She wanted to, she really, really did. Kagome could easily see this place becoming her new home, for a while, anyway. Until Hojo came and restored her to her rightful place in the world.

As though her face said it all, the woman put one soft, comforting hand on her shoulder. "I own an inn and I could use some extra help. This has been a very busy season for us. Would you and your sister like to work for me?"

Heart beating fast in excitement, Kagome could not restrain herself from laughing exuberantly and bouncing up and down in her seat.

"I would love to!" Remembering Kikyo, she realized she could not commit herself just yet. But once she told her, she'd be so proud of her and would never think her worthless again! "I'll need to ask my sister, though. I'll tell her tonight."

The woman nodded and smiled gently down at her. "I will meet you in the morning right in this very spot, then."

Running faster than she had ever been allowed to before, Kagome made it back to the inn just as Kikyo was approaching the door. The look on her face was filled with an exasperated kind of anger and when she saw how few bags her sister carried, Kagome realized this must be the cherry on top to what seemed like a terrible day. Giving her the sweetest smile in her repertoire, she grabbed her by the arm and practically bounced up the stairs and into their room.

"I have some wonderful news!" she trilled, twirling in the small space and nearly knocking into the wall.

Struggling to keep the smile from her face, Kikyo responded, "Oh?"

"You remember that flute woman? Well, she passed by the window today and I couldn't _not_ go to her, Kikyo, not after I heard such beautiful music! Well, we sat together and she played me a song that went on for hours but I didn't even notice because it was so enchanting! And then she asked me where I was from and what I was doing here and so I told her our cover story and she offered us a job at her inn! Hey, you know what? This is probably the inn!"

Seeing how happy the girl was, Kikyo refrained from sharing her suspicions. "Thank you, Kagome," she said sincerely, kissing her cheek. She wasn't good with affection, but she knew how badly Kagome needed it. Even after such little contact, she seemed to glow from within. "We'll go talk to her in the morning."

"How did your day go? Did you get our supplies?"

Kikyo sighed. "The people here think every traveler to be an idiot, especially one without shoes. I had to pay three times the amount our new shoes were worth. It just went downhill from there. There are still some things I need, but I will see to them tomorrow. I've already paid for another night."

The meal was the same as the one before, and it was harder for them to go to sleep this time, both thinking of what tomorrow would bring.

Kagome was woken up by the flute. The gray light outside told it must be just before dawn. Excitedly she washed her face and combed her hair before dressing. Kikyo never did those kinds of things unless absolutely necessary, so she indulged in staying in the warm bed for a few minutes more. Dodging the people in the streets, they went to the fountain, where the woman was playing her flute, largely ignored by the townsfolk.

Smiling warmly, the woman greeted Kagome with a nod. "Good morning, child. You're looking extra pretty in this light."

Kikyo eyed the woman up and down. That song she'd been playing was beautiful, true, but it was a haunting kind that made her want to turn away.

"I am Hana. I heard you spoke to my sister yesterday?"

Barely flicking a glance at her, the woman responded. "Yes, good to meet you. My name is Sara. I'm guessing Kaede told you of my offer?"

Kikyo nodded, still suspicious. If she needed help at her inn, why was she not working there and instead outside at all hours playing her damn flute? If she was the mistress and there was work to be done, then she should be the first to do it.

Sighing, Sara said, "I only recently acquired the inn. I haven't the foggiest idea on how to run it. Normally, I just take care of the books and make sure the numbers add up."

"And why did you not seek help earlier here in town? It seems to be a busy place with more than enough people to lend you a hand."

"Indeed. But people in this town are crafty and word travels fast. Once it was known I was not as in control of the inn as I'd made myself seem, people were taking advantage of me." Her face filled with sorrow before brightening. "I'm so glad I met the two of you. You have honest, sweet faces. You won't cheat me."

Still uncertain, Kikyo only nodded.

"So, Miss Hana, would you and your sister be willing to work for me? I'm sorry that the pay isn't anything grand, but it's honest work and you'd also have room and board thrown in."

This was an opportunity she was sure they would not come across again. Despite the odd feeling the woman gave her, there were just too many reasons to accept. Even if they stayed in the forests and the wilderness, how long before they were found? Or died of starvation, dehydration, exposure, an animal attack? She couldn't protect Kagome from everything. And the girl so wanted to stay here. To build a new life here. A life where they both could be free…

Kikyo shook her hand. "It's a deal."

Sara seemed to smirk. "Rough hands. Strong grip. Not at all like your sister's. You must be the one that does all the work."

"I help!" Kagome piped up, slightly offended.

"Oh, don't worry, sweet child. Soon your hands will be just like your sisters. I'm known to be quite the slave driver."

With a merry laugh, she led them both back to the inn, playing her flute in a triumphant melody as they went along. They entered through the back this time, through a door they hadn't noticed before. The big room was surprisingly nice, much nicer than their room or the common area.

"Have a seat, my dears. We can have a celebratory cup of tea and you can tell me a little more about yourselves."

Sara left the room and went to what sounded like the kitchen. The sisters sat down across from each other. Kagome's smile was so wide it was infectious. She was so happy that she had finally done something only she could do and proved that she was a capable person.

"Thank you, Kagome," Kikyo said sincerely before her forehead wrinkled. "But you really should not have gone out of your room. Who knows what could have happened to you?"

"Don't worry so much!" she said dismissively, in too good a mood to be upset. "Things only got better _because_ I left the room, remember?"

A young woman in plain work clothes came in followed by Sara. She poured them the tea, ignoring their thanks, and scurried back into the kitchen.

"Don't take it personally, my dear ones," Sara said, taking a seat. "My workers are very busy and we are understaffed, like I told you." She placed a small coin purse in front of each girl. "Open them. That's your first week's pay."

Kagome did so first, more eager than her sister. Her mouth fell open in excitement. She'd never had money before! Everything she wanted was brought to her. The idea of earning pay seemed like an adventure. Inside her bag was two gold coins, five silver, and twenty copper. She wasn't sure if that was a lot or a little, but she was grateful.

The older sister was speechless. Regular people had copper and silver coins only, gold was for the wealthy and the titled. What was going on here? Perhaps the customs were different, but everywhere else she'd gone had been the same. In her own bag was a single gold coin, three silver, and ten copper. Before they could thank their new employer, the same woman came back, head bowed, with a tray of food. Placing a plate before each of them, she went back the way she'd come as though dogs were snapping at her heels. The food was better than any they'd had since leaving the castle, something exotic neither of them could name.

"I inherited this inn from my own older sister, you know," Sara said softly, looking at Kagome fondly. "She was the strongest demon in these lands."

Kikyo nearly dropped her fork. "Demon?" she asked, attempting to keep her voice polite.

Sara nodded. "Oh yes. I am a half-demon, in case you couldn't tell."

"Wow!" Kagome said. "But you look so human! It must be nice being a part of two communities."

Their employer's expression became blank. "It's the opposite, I'm afraid." She didn't elaborate, instead sipping some of her wine, obviously not caring for the tea she had brought for the two of them. "My sister is full demon, though."

Kikyo relaxed a little. A half-demon was half-human, after all, and that made her feel safe. And the fact that Sara had been close to her older sister was comforting also. It almost had her trusting the woman.

"My goodness, it's getting quite late! I'm going to go ahead and close up. The two of you lambs finish your tea and I'll be back soon." The door closed behind her with a soft click and then they were alone.

"It sounds like being a half-demon is really difficult," Kagome said, eyes full of compassion. "Poor Sara. And she doesn't even have her sister to protect her anymore."

Kikyo's heart filled with fondness for her little sister. "Yes. In some places, half-demons are hunted for sport. In others, they are treated as second-class citizens. It varies all over, but it's usually bad."

"But why? It makes no sense!"

The older woman kept silent. To her, it made plenty of sense. The very idea of a human and a demon breeding filled her with nausea. The two species were so different. _Too_ different. It would be like laying with an animal. And she couldn't tell Kagome that half-demons always had something wrong with them, a sign from the gods that there should be no mixing. Either mental or physical or spiritual, there was always some sort of deformity. It was better that humans and demons never come into contact than for something like that to exist. That was the belief of her ancestors, and so it was hers as well.

Suddenly, Kagome slumped over, passed out. Kikyo vaguely realized this was not normal and moved to stand, only to fall to the floor without even getting to her feet. A thought came to her just before everything went dark.

 _The tea._

 **That's all, folks! For now. If you have the time, please check out the Guest review on this story from March 4** **th** **. I'd like your opinion on it. Thanks so much for reading! I love you and your pets.**


	4. Sand in the Hourglass

**Note: NotOften! Yay, you're back! I missed you and your reviews** **:)**

 **Sorry this chapter took so long, but I decided to smoosh a couple chapters together to get things moving faster, and while I was doing that I suddenly decided to at some point introduce characters I wasn't going to write in and then I was rewriting almost EVERYTHING, so yeah, that took some time. Add to that I got it into my head to graduate a semester early and spend a semester abroad so I have to get prepped for that and then there were some parties and evil thieving roommates and other real life junk and TESTS/PAPERS and it was delayed. BUT I ALWAYS COME BACK, Y'ALL. YOU CAN'T SHAKE ME.**

 **CANNOT**

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 **SHOOKENED**

 **But please, always review. Sometimes I kinda forget how long it's been and a review will make me go OH HOLY SHIT and pump out a chapter. Reviews/PMs have led to sequels and faster updates and stuff, so don't be shy.**

 **Four: Sand in the Hourglass**

Once again, Inuyasha and Sango were in the Higurashi forest searching for the runaway royal women. Inuyasha grit his teeth in rage, pushing down the growl in his chest. Why had he thought capturing these women would be easier than capturing their kingdom? They were freaks of nature. It was going to take more time and effort before he won, and he would certainly win. He was a prince of Inu and represented the empire to the conquered; failure was not an option.

His shadow walked beside him, her steps as soft and silent as his own. They were both trained to hunt and he was even better than the trackers who had been bred for that very purpose. With them and all the others working together, they should find the girls within the next week. Inuyasha grinned to himself and it had a somewhat sadistic emphasis to it. Those bitches would rue the day they chose to ruin and run rather than face him and gain any amount of respect possible. Now they were prey. He'd treat them worse than any prisoner and ask his father as a reward for a successful conquest to make them his servants, where he'd debase them at every opportunity. Normally, he wasn't such a cruel man, but the things he'd been experiencing in Higurashi had changed him for the worse. People throwing themselves in front of his soldiers just to make their day that much more gruesome, his own soldiers being incinerated and him helpless to save them…

Every time he closed his eyes, he saw their faces. Heard their screams. The queen would pay.

A sharp tug on his ear made him yelp and he glared at Sango. Instead of the teasing expression he'd been expecting to see on her face, her eyes were wide and she was staring at something near his shoulder. Turning to see what it was, he saw a little monkey with a giant smile hanging from a tree, reaching out to tug on his ear again.

Inuyasha slapped the fucker right to the ground. Just as he was about to stomp it to death, Sango put her hand on his arm, stopping him.

"Wait! They might know something."

Rolling his eyes, he snatched the monkey up before it could scramble away. "Have you seen anyone come through these woods? Two women traveling together, probably with some guards and servants?"

The monkey stared at him blankly, eyes on his ears, mouth open with drool beginning to collect on the bottom lip.

"Are you a dog or a human?"

"He's a dogman! Bark, Dogman!"

"Don't upset him or he'll pee on us!"

"That's just how they say hello. We should probably pee on him first."

"Sniffing butts is how they say hello, stupid."

"Ew! You're sick, Dogman!"

Two other monkeys in the tree looked down on the scene and Inuyasha's eye began to twitch. The only thing holding him back was that they hadn't run into anyone else in the forest since their fight with the soldiers, so if anyone could possibly have seen the fleeing royal women, it was these little monsters.

"Have you two seen anyone coming through here recently?" Sango asked, her voice pleasant. In that moment, he hated her for being so amused.

In unison, they nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah! Dogman and you, sir."

Inuyasha laughed at the polite mask melting off her face. A trickle of something wet splashed on his arm and his nose twitched. Was that _piss_?

The monkey grinned even wider. "Just trying to make you feel welcome, Dogman."

The growl he'd been suppressing escaped and he flung the monkey he was holding to the ground, where it promptly scurried out of the range of his feet.

"My father is the emperor! I will have your fucking heads and mount them on my wall, you goddamn psychopaths!"

The monkey he'd been holding finally broke his silence. "Wow! He's just as mean and ugly as that lying princess thief!"

Thankfully, Sango took notice of what he'd said and was able to hold Inuyasha back from jumping into the boughs of the tree and strangling the little sprites.

"When did you meet this thief?"

One of the monkeys picked its nose and shrugged. "Iunno."

"Do you know what she looked like?" Inuyasha asked, eyes blazing.

"Already told ya. She was as ugly as you! A bloodless freak with a white butt!"

The two of them gaped. What the hell had gone on that these monkeys had seen the princess' backside?

"Well, do you know where she went?"

One of the monkeys leaned close to Inuyasha as if to whisper something. Gesturing, he signed for Inuyasha to hold out his hand. Confused, the half-demon did so, desperate for any sort of information. Hell, if they got something substantial, maybe they'd even find one or both of the women by the end of the day! The sprite dropped a rock into his palm.

His brows came together in annoyance. "What the fuck? The fuck does a rock have to do with—"

The rock grew so rapidly eyes could not track it, crushing him under its suddenly oppressive weight.

Sango gasped in dismay, barely registering the giggles of the monkey sprites as they disappeared somewhere further in the forest. Try as she might, she could not lift the rock—now a boulder—and free her prince. Just when it occurred to her to go back to the camp for reinforcements, the rock shrank until it was just a tiny pebble once again. The now dirty Inuyasha shakily got to his feet, pushing her helping hands away. He grumbled something about burning the entire forest to the ground. It appeared as though his pride had been crushed by the rock more than his body.

"I fear I must apologize for my sprites, prince."

Materializing out of thin air, a deity addressed him, floating an inch or so above the ground. Even so, Inuyasha had been through too much shit that day to be impressed.

"Where are the queen and her sister?" he asked.

Sango recognized the tone as one he took on just before he was about to kill. It made her shudder and she wished she was capable of stopping him, but he'd been pushed to his limits since arriving in Higurashi and it had worn him out.

"That I cannot tell you. I will not. They are of my protected people." Just when Inuyasha was about to either break and attempt deicide, he continued, "But I can tell you this, prince. They did pass this way a short time ago. I would tell you exactly, but time is different in our forest. Their presence is no longer here, but that does not mean they are far or that they will not return."

Upset, Inuyasha replied, "Is there nothing else you can give me, then? You're a god, aren't you?"

"Hold out your palm."

"I ain't falling for that—"

"I'm a god, not a sprite. Hold out your palm."

Reluctantly, he did so. The deity's hands felt like a brush of a bedewed leaf but there was no visible moisture.

"Your taste for sweat will turn to a taste for sweet. Your cruelty will protect your enemies from your cruelty. And you'll get a real, real bad headache."

"You're a senile old idiot." Snatching back his hand and glaring, he realized he was now holding a tiny ring made for a tiny finger. The god vanished into the ether before he could question him about it. It was a delicate ring, white gold and sparkling with diamonds and amethysts. A woman's ring. The queen's? Her sister's?

"At least we know the women are alive," Sango said, attempting to be consoling.

Inuyasha sighed, suddenly melancholy. Pocketing the ring, he figured he could maybe give that to his mother later, though she had hundreds like it already. It certainly wasn't a good enough gift. His anger at the thought of the destroyed statues brought him back out of the uncharacteristic sadness. Fucking bitch queen. He'd make her wish she'd never been born.

The walk back to camp was silent. Neither of them felt much like talking. Inuyasha dwelled on where the women could have fled to. Hekigan? One of the other lands under human rule? But it would take months to get to Hekigan, and there were many demon kingdoms and lands under Inu rule or influence in between, and there were people looking everywhere for them. He'd honestly been expecting them to hide out in the forest setting up camp with whatever guards and servants they'd taken along with them. He regretted not asking the sprites and the god more questions now that his mind wasn't buzzing with anger.

"My lord!" One of the messengers from the main palace was running up to them. He was either new or the message was particularly urgent if he wasn't lazing about, waiting to be announced.

"What?" he said gruffly. Inuyasha wondered if the bad headache the god had told him about was already starting, because he was beginning to feel that telltale pressure just at the sight of the man.

"Your lord brother, the Crown Prince Sesshomaru, has sent me to summon you back to the main palace."

"What!?" he said again, this time angry and ready to go to the palace just to kick Sesshomaru's lazy ass.

Before the half-demon could continue, the messenger said, "It is a direct order from the emperor. Higurashi will be left to the army and will continue to be occupied. Reinforcements will be sent to help with clean-up and reconstruction. Dragons have been sent and the carriages are waiting. You are to leave at once."

A direct order from the emperor. Did his father think him a failure? He doubted even the old man would have been able to do a better job when it came to attempting to turn a violent war into a peaceful coexistence. Toga had forbidden consumption of humans after he mated Izayoi, but he bet even he would have lost his temper and transformed into his true form, gobbling up any stupid peasant that dared oppose him. Never before had Inuyasha wished so much to be a full demon as he had in the midst of this war, even though his human blood had been the only thing keeping him safe from the purification of the priestesses. In his mind, if he could only do what his father and brother could and leave behind his tiny human-like form, he would be unstoppable.

"My lord, is that…urine on your tunic?"

The rage and disappointment of the day overwhelmed him and he abruptly left the messenger, walking in the opposite direction of the camp. Sango followed him, worried and internally panicking. Most of the soldiers were eating their meager supper and looked up when Inuyasha entered the tent. Instead of going up and eating with them, he simply stood there, staring at each and every one of them.

"You've performed better than any soldiers Inu has ever seen," he began. "And so I reward you before your work is done. Have any woman from the prison that you want. There aren't enough for all of you, so it's gonna be first come, first serve. Don't fight over them enough to draw blood. Remember you can share."

His shadow was appalled. Usually, there was a careful process of allotting slaves to soldiers. There were approvals and record paperwork and contracts, but he was just going to let them loose on those unsuspecting women. Women who had sons and fathers and brothers who had killed their sons and fathers and brothers and friends. And many of the women had been fighting, too. There was no way they'd be treated like normal slaves. The fight had gone on too long for them to be merciful. Wounds were still fresh. It would be a nightmare.

But she trusted Inuyasha knew what he was doing. It was killing him to leave the conquered land before the work was done. Never one for special treatment, he was now called away to be a prince once again when here he had been a warrior. A warrior of exalted status and importance, but a warrior all the same, his status given because of nepotism, but his respect earned by merit. Now he had to go back to the place that suffocated him, abandoning his men in the hellhole he alone was able to escape. Before he left, he was making sure his men were more or less pacified.

The girl Inuyasha had claimed entered the mess tent, either drawn by the whoops and shouts of the soldiers or searching for her master. The talk buzzed all around them and the men were literally salivating, listing all the things they were going to do to the women. Some of them even eyed the girl. Sango shivered when she saw how they looked at her. It was more than lust. It was violence. Face drained of color, Ayumi ran from the mess hall down the path that led to the barn where the female prisoners were being kept.

Before she even got more than a few steps towards her destination, Inuyasha grabbed her by the arm and kept her from moving beyond her wild struggles. Face blank, he pulled her away from where the soldiers were racing toward the barn.

"No! Please! I have to warn them, have to help them—"

Ayumi fell face down on the dirt, unable to keep up with her master's strides. Unconcerned, Inuyasha dragged her to where the carriages were waiting. Opening the door of the one filled with his things, he tossed her inside, slamming the door after her.

"You get in there, too. I need to ride alone."

Though deeply wounded at the significance of being placed in the carriage with his possessions, Sango knew better than to disobey him or put up a fight at the moment. Whenever something like this happened with the emperor, he acted like a child and hurt everyone who cared for him. It was the same on his human nights. Sighing, she sat down on the leather seat, thinking of the other carriage with its silk and satin and gold and, most precious of all, her prince.

"Why is he so awful?" Ayumi sobbed. "Some of the women there aren't even of an age to have relations with men!"

Sango didn't know how to console her. She didn't feel like defending Inuyasha either, but that was her job, after all.

"It's different in Inu and most of the rest of the world. When the body is developed, men and women are permitted to know each other physically."

Ayumi continued to cry as the dragons took to the air. "But what of the mind and soul?"

The shadow sighed and leaned back, thinking of the first time she and her prince had been intimate. All the magic he'd shown her. He had been her first and she was his.

They had both been fifteen when the emperor had decided it was time for Inuyasha to have a shadow. All her fellow taijiya were buzzing with the news since her father, the chief, had announced it. The crown prince had rejected taking a taijiya on as a shadow, defying tradition, and rebelled against having a shadow altogether until his father forced him to pick one, at which point he chose another demon. Shadows were always close in age to the one they guarded, trained from birth to be a ruthless killer who cared only for their master, even over their own family.

For a long time, Sango had been an only child. It was thought that her mother had been cursed by the gods and the elder recommended her father set her aside and take a new wife, but he didn't do so. Though he was the emperor's own shadow and a harsh man, the only softness that could be found in him belonged solely to his wife, and he extended a similar kindness to her even though she was only a daughter, a firstborn as well, which would have been reason enough to set his wife aside. She had been raised as any other taijiya was, but he'd gone harder on her than most fathers were on their daughters, recognizing her potential. Privately, she'd realized he'd been raising her like a son, putting all his hopes in her, and while it was a lot to handle, she was capable of meeting his expectations and surpassing them, no matter how hard.

Then Kohaku had been born.

All through her mother's difficult pregnancy, she'd been at her side. Everyone she knew had at least two siblings and it was her first time experiencing something so amazing. Finally, she wouldn't be alone anymore. Sango had turned twelve on the day her little brother was brought into the world before his time. The midwife had managed to save the baby boy, but nothing could be done for her mother. Her father had been so distraught that he'd even been given leave by the emperor, something unheard of for any shadow. Kohaku had lived in the midwife's house until he was weaned. She'd gone to visit him every day, staring at him in awe, scared to touch him since he was so tiny and precious and her hands knew only how to bring pain. All she'd ever known was how to fight, and now that she wanted to, she could not be gentle. But she tried. It took a year before she was able to hold him without being overwhelmed by the fear she'd hurt him.

Her father hadn't visited him once.

When he was brought back to their house, it was Sango's job to take care of him. She was the woman, after all. It was her duty. It was also her delight. When she had to leave him with the married women to go train, he would cry, and she would laughingly scold him, but once she turned her back she would cry as well. They were one another's daily companions until the prince came to the village in disguise, observed the young taijiya training, and chosen her.

She remembered the day clearly since it was so close to her heart. The taijiya in her skill class had been training in their usual place, a large clearing in the middle of their forest. One of the only females present and the youngest of all, she'd wielded her Hiraikotsu with ease. The way she dodged blow after blow from her fellow trainees seemed effortless, but that was only due to the frightening amount of practice she'd had coupled with a natural talent.

Perhaps she'd become too confident in her abilities. Or maybe the guys went harder on her because she was the daughter of the chief or because she was unusually strong. Whatever the case, she suddenly became the sole target of all twenty male taijiya. The other women were nowhere to be found. With a start, she realized they were ganging up on her, and they weren't playing around, either. Blow after blow rained down on her and it was all she could do to dodge the various bone weapons of her comrades. When the sweat began to drip in her eyes and obscure her vision, she thought to run and bring the attack to a stop, but the sound of a sharp blade leaving its sheath made her come to a full stop in her shock and disbelief. A bone club caught her shoulder and she fell to her knees.

"Do you yield?" one of the men asked, face obscured by his mask.

A snarl twisted her features. In lieu of a reply, she stabbed his foot into the soft earth with the blade she kept hidden in her sleeve.

His cry of pain coincided with a blow to her head and then she was completely on the ground, fighting the urge to spill her stomach. A heavy boot held her struggling form down.

A low chuckle sounded above her. "Had we been enemies, you'd be dead now, daughter."

Sango groaned. "Father, was this a test?"

He helped her to her feet, keeping an arm around her shoulders when she swayed. "Every day of this life is a test."

Heart rate quickly returning back to normal now that she knew she was safe, they went back to the village, talking and laughing together. A boy she'd never seen before dressed in fine clothes had somehow joined the group. He was a demon and looked to be about her age, but his bearing made him seem much older. With long silver hair and golden eyes, she guessed him to be related to the emperor. Just before she left to go see Kohaku, he grabbed her wrist and turned to her father.

"Her. I'll take her."

Her father's face was a blank mask, betraying no pleasure or displeasure. "Are you quite certain, my prince? Her training is not yet complete."

Prince? _This_ was the _prince_!? Sango's face erupted in a blush and she wished she was more presentable. Gods, to his sensitive nose she must be smelling like old laundry. Oh, if only her father had told her that the prince would be choosing a shadow today!

He grinned and his eyes ran over her, making her shiver. "I'm sure. We can train together."

A brief pause and then the chief nodded. "Very well. Your father will be glad you made a choice so quickly. There will be a feast before you go."

She had been chosen. Out of everyone, the prince had chosen her. Sango felt like she was walking on air, all the bruises and strained muscles melting away to nothing. The prince continued to stare at her and she realized she hadn't stopped blushing.

"Um, if you please, my prince, why did you choose me? I lost." The fact that he had seen her overwhelmed was a great shame to her and her people.

The prince laughed, a short sound that made her heart skip a beat. "You didn't give up. Had your father not put a stop to it, I bet you would have died taking out every single one of your attackers. How many knives do you have on you, anyway?"

That her rather excessive reaction had been remarked upon made her want to cover her burning face in her hands.

"I-I swear, for now and for all time, that my life will forever come before yours, my prince."

He nodded once. "I believe you."

The honor was so great that they feasted her for a week straight. The prince attended the feasts as well, never taking his eyes off of her. Every time he took a sip of wine, he licked his bottom lip, smearing it with red and making her choke on whatever food she happened to be picking at. At the time, she hadn't recognized his desire and knew only that it made her body respond in strange ways she'd never felt before. All she knew was that he was handsome and she already was yearning to serve him.

The only thing that saddened her was leaving Kohaku behind. He was too young to understand that she would be gone for longer than ever before. Sitting the three-year-old on her lap, she snuggled him close on her last night in the village.

"I'll be going away, Kohaku." Her voice was always different when she spoke to him and there was no way she could control its playfulness, even at such a difficult moment. "I'll be gone like Father."

His eyes were big and uncomprehending. "O-tay."

"The palace is just above the village most times. I won't be very far, and I'll come back all the time, so don't you dare cry and be a bad boy."

"No bad boy." He shook his head, eyes solemn with his promise.

Smiling, she fought back tears. "That's right. You'll be good for everyone so I can be proud of you whenever I come back."

Kohaku found trying to bite his toes more interesting than her goodbye, and she left him to it, kissing him on the head. She left with the sunrise, and by the next sunrise she belonged to the prince body and soul.

Present day Sango smiled to herself. It would be nice to see him again. Never before had it been this long between visits. Had he been keeping up with his training? Her younger brother was her opposite in many ways. A part of her wished they could switch sexes, if only to please her father. At least women could give up battle after marriage. Men had no other option. Kohaku enjoyed cooking and caring for animals, his pure soul hesitant to inflict harm on any being. Maybe it was because he had been left with the women of the village too much growing up, their father's status as shadow keeping him away more often than not. But she believed he was just naturally that way, as sweet as the day he was born.

"Gods… I think I'm going to be sick…"

The shadow barely had time to react before Ayumi began to retch, filling the cramped carriage with a foul scent. As fond as she'd been of Inuyasha in her memories, a part of Sango honestly hated him now.

 **O\o/O**

Though the dragons made carriage travel smoother and flying through the air was much quicker than using roads, Inuyasha was still impatient and bored out of his mind. He probably shouldn't have forced Sango to go in the other carriage, but he was just so pissed off and he knew she was going to do her preachy thing and he just couldn't deal with it right now. Fuck, though, she was going to give him shit when they got back. The elegant carriage was now filled with the scent of monkey piss and it just made him angrier. Why was it that just when he seemed to catch a break, everything fell apart even more?

After a few fitful attempts at sleep, he reached the palace many hours later just ahead of Sango. Night and morning had come and gone and now it was near noon. His stomach rumbled and he thought of all the foods he hadn't been able to have when out in the field. For once, he was glad to be back. Unfortunately, he could only eat after first answering the summons.

The magic-supported clouds held his weight easily and he walked to the palace without care for the flowers he trod upon or the way the stained glass cast beautiful colored patterns on the fluffy white floor. Blind to all the beauty that surrounded him, he strode right into the palace, ignoring the greetings of the guards and the appalled looks of the nobility who called the palace home during the season of socialization.

The summons had said to come right to Sesshomaru without delay, and for the first time he'd follow the order to the letter, his one pleasure that the more sensitive nose of his half-brother would be disturbed, maybe even to the point of briefly losing his composure, a feat he'd only managed a few times in his life, one being when he'd sliced off his left arm. That had been a good war. After that, the crown prince disappeared in a sulk for a week or so and reappeared with a new addition to his small group of misfit adorers.

Inuyasha flung open the doors to Sesshomaru's office, the pure gold handles as cold and hard as the demon himself. To his surprise, his half-brother was not there to bitch at him about how he used too much force and the doors had hit the wall. Instead, he was met with the creepy little toad guy whose name he still couldn't remember despite having known him for well over a decade.

"Where's the crown princess?" Inuyasha asked, glaring at what he was mentally calling _it_.

It glared back. "The Crown _Prince_ Lord Sesshomaru is in his garden. It is his pet's quiet time, so you must proceed silently."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes but complied, not wanting to get into it yet again with the walking and talking booger. His brother's gardens were vast, but he knew just where he'd be without even following his scent. As always during his time with his pet, Sesshomaru was in the portion of the garden that was a flower meadow, walled off by tall flowering trees, their branches twisted together in bright bursts of color, a peaceful section of never ending Spring. Petals floated and spun down on the expressionless dog demon. His elegant robes almost concealed the form on his lap.

Though he thought the relationship Sesshomaru shared with his pet was more than a little strange, he knew enough not to say anything. At least right now. Rin was a sweet thing and he bore her no ill will. For some incomprehensible reason, she was completely and totally attached to Sesshomaru—and he to her. The strangest part of it all was how he kept her around ever since she was a little girl and it seemed like he had no intention of fucking her. Rin had blossomed into a woman several years ago, with lovely glowing eyes and a fine figure, and still he hadn't laid a hand on her. That somehow made it even creepier than if he had.

But he couldn't.

The law of Inu forbade few sexual things, but the ones it did carried heavy sentences should a person give in to those desires. Parent-child incest and bestiality were two of the big ones, and Rin fell somewhere between lapdog and adopted daughter. Since Sesshomaru had refused to clarify her status from the very beginning, they began to refer to her as his pet. If he had not kept her so close to him and instead handed her off to be raised as any other girl, then perhaps he could have groomed her to be a mistress or lesser wife. Personally, Inuyasha thought his brother was a creepy bastard, and creepy bastards got off to creepy shit. There was not yet evidence that he had defiled his pet, but the half-demon thought it was only a matter of time.

"The fuck did you call me all the way back here for, bastard?"

Sesshomaru didn't even glance at him, intense gaze on Rin's still face. "Kagura and I have not managed to produce an heir in our years of marriage. Father has decided that you are to be married as soon as a suitable bride is approved."

Inuyasha opened his mouth to yell, but the sight of Sesshomaru's acid whip glowing suddenly inches in front of his face made him pause.

"If you produce a sound greater than the murmur of a butterfly's wings, half-breed, I will cut you into strips."

Stuffing away his anger for his next scheduled meeting with his father, he responded, unaware he had lowered his voice. "Have they chosen candidates yet? Will I even get a say!?"

Sesshomaru shook his head. "Father is generously allowing you to choose." His voice was tight. In his view, it was a definite sign of favoritism. Sesshomaru had only been told the identity of his wife scant days before the wedding ceremony. "They will hold dances and courtship meetings." A delicate snort escaped him. "I cannot think of going to such trouble for a mere half-breed. Is this bloodline's miscegenation not bad enough? Disgusting. An insult to our empire."

The half-demon attempted to stifle a growl. "With all the shit you give humans, you seem pretty obsessed with their women." A pointed glance at Rin's sleeping form cradled in the demon's lap was enough to drive his point home, but he continued, a grin splitting his features. "Just like your mother."

Dodging the whip, he went back inside the palace, knowing Sango would be pissed he hadn't waited for her. She was his best friend and all, but sometimes it felt good giving his shadow the slip. His chest tightened at the thought of what he was to be forced into. More than anything, he wished to be on the battlefield, taking out these new frustrations on some moron barbarians or lesser demons. At most, he had about a year before he'd be forced into marriage with some airhead royal. Hadn't he done enough for the empire!?

Knowing it was futile, he began to jog to his rooms, where he knew his shadow would be. Better prepare for one last hurrah, and this one was going to eclipse all the others.

As he had thought, Sango was standing in the anteroom to his chambers, fury in her eyes.

"My lord!" she hissed. "What were you thinking! My title is not merely to inspire fear, I am truly to always be at your side—"

His humorless half-smile cut her off. "I just talked to Sesshomaru. The emperor has decided I'm to be married."

Sango swallowed a shocked cry. Always. She'd always known he would take a wife and she would lose him. Sure, she could continue as his shadow and pursue her unrequited love, taking what stolen moments she could, but she was not that much a masochist. They'd agreed long ago: when he married, so would she. And that would be the end of it.

But oh, her heart was breaking.

"Soon?" she croaked.

Inuyasha patted her shoulder, trying to comfort her even though one look at him told her he was the one who needed comforting.

"We have time. I bet I can drag it out for at least a year. Enough to give you time to find a partner, too."

He continued into his bedroom and took a sniff, relieved to know the maids had aired it out properly before his return so it wasn't stuffy. Used to life out in the open, he liked as much fresh air as possible. Forcing himself to calm down, he attempted to accept what his future was to be. He had the perfect place in mind to enrich his last year as a bachelor.

The doors were thrown open and Inuyasha started, so caught up in his thoughts that he hadn't heard anyone approaching. To his relief, it was just Izayoi.

His mother, the queen, was dressed in many layers of differently hued purple robes, each one transparent. Layered over each other, the filmy cloths obscured the most intimate details of her body but still draped and fell in such a way that she might as well have gone about wearing nothing. But Izayoi knew things about men not even they did, and this was her usual casual dress. In one of her tiny, soft hands she held a black leather leash. Attached to the other end was one of the court's highest courtiers, naked but for a ball gag and a cock cage, crawling on hands and knees. Despite the humiliating predicament, there was a look of joy in his eyes as he stared at the hem of Izayoi's robes. Had the noble dog demon a tail, it would be wagging.

"Inuyasha, my little puppy!" Izayoi squealed, throwing her arms around him. "You're finally home."

Inuyasha kissed her cheek, trying his best to ignore the normally dignified demon with the painful erection and reddened ass.

 **O\o/O**

The saga of Izayoi was a very popular one, with different versions sung by bards all throughout Inu territory and beyond. Izayoi had once been a princess from a kingdom that was entirely human but still openly traded with demons and allowed them into their land for that sole purpose. Unfortunately, her father had attempted to wage war against the Inu and hold their demon merchants hostage as a bargaining chip. His poorly thought out plans were thwarted by Toga and the kingdom was absorbed into Inu within a fortnight. Most of the royal family had been killed, resistant as they were to being ruled by another, especially a demon. The surviving members had offered Izayoi, the only child of the king, to Toga as a peace offering, even though he already had an empress reigning beside him and seemed quite satisfied.

Toga didn't touch Izayoi.

It was a blow to her pride. For the first time since she'd reached womanhood, a man didn't make obvious his want for her. He hardly even looked at her after their initial introduction, her bowing before his throne, making sure he had a good look at the sliver of cleavage that was only just too much to be appropriate. The demon, resplendent with glory none could come close to, simply gave her a distracted smile and handed her off to some assistants to get her settled in a room of her own. Never did he call on her. After weeks of him ignoring her, the offended and beautiful Izayoi and set her mind to scheming.

In her homeland, women of rank were kept as virgins until marriage but trained in the art of sex, learning secrets passed down from mother to daughter through the centuries. As the princess, she had the best education of all, knowing every secret of seduction and tricks that were classified as secrets of the kingdom, carefully guarded for generations upon generations. Izayoi knew well how to make a man squirm in pleasure and beg and plead with tears in his eyes for a brush of her hand on him or a puff of air in the right place. Add to that she was a uniquely beautiful woman that made all who saw her stop and stare and forget everything but her, and you had a formidable combination. In her own right, she was a warrior, and a damn good one.

This was to be her revenge. The demon who had personally killed her father and ordered the deaths of her brothers and cousins and uncles and husband-to-be would fall at her feet. For the first time in her life, she had thanked the gods her mother had died the year before, grateful the gentle woman had been spared the cruelty that befell the rest of her family. Since Izayoi was the last true royal left, it was up to her to avenge her family, and the only weapon she had was what her mother and the gods had blessed her with.

The emperor was odd for an Inu. That she realized right away. Toga did not indulge in the sex games that frequently took place at every opportunity within the palace. He didn't even attend the banquets that were but flimsy excuses for orgies. Instead, he preferred his books, and when he wanted to be active, he fenced with a partner, enjoying the swordplay and not the beating of his opponent. When Izayoi found this out, spying on him with several giggling maids through a sliding door cracked open just the slightest bit, it made her heart beat like it never had before.

In her homeland, the men were like peacocks, strutting and showing off, always bragging and boasting. But this demon was humble. He hid it well, but she had the kind of eyes that saw it. Even for a simple fisherman, among her people he would be considered humble. Nothing like her departed fiancé, a man she had cared for because she was supposed to. The feelings that afflicted her when she watched the emperor made her want to cry, certain she knew what was beginning to happen inside her.

However, his empress did partake. InuKimi was at every banquet and frequently was the person who organized them. Izayoi watched her as carefully as she watched Toga, maybe even more. The empress seemed the complete opposite of her husband. Never with less than two partners, she was familiar with every member of the court, men and women alike. The demoness never seemed to tire, sometimes taking turns with every attendee at the banquet and then the servants and then taking several back to her rooms for more.

It was the easiest thing in the world to seduce InuKimi.

When she felt she'd learned enough and was making the right choice, Izayoi made her move. A woman whose favorite hobby was sex was the straightest path to the man she wanted, the man that had made up his mind to see no one and nothing other than his books and to feel nothing other than the thrill of sparring.

Izayoi had been invited to every banquet, as much because she was a highly-prized gift to the emperor as she was a beautiful curiosity no one had yet sampled. For the first time, she put on the traditional dress of her people, the dress she was to have worn for her wedding. Her heart was beating almost as fast as it did when she spied on Toga. Once all the many thin straps were in place, she threw the sheer white shift on top, still revealing all she had to offer, obscuring only the most desired of places. Her headdress was heavily bejeweled and she was glad she had practiced walking with it from almost the beginning of her time in the palace.

By now she knew the patterns of each guest, when they tended to arrive, what they tended to wear, what was considered fashionably late and what was considered rude. Izayoi waited until just before it would have been considered an insult to the hosts and then walked in, the sway of her hips helped by the elaborately carved six-inch wooden sandals she wore. All conversation ceased. Head held high, she boldly made eye contact with the empress herself. Not even InuKimi could stop herself from beckoning the woman with the amethyst eyes forward, pushing her current favorite to a seat further down the table and making a place for Izayoi at her right hand. As though she belonged there, Izayoi gracefully lowered herself down to sit, gesturing to a servant for a new plate and glass.

The empress did nothing but stare at her for a few moments, animal eyes drinking her in, almost glaring at her with their unusual intensity. She was a very beautiful, elegant woman, but in moments like this she seemed more like a warrior than her gentle husband. Izayoi decided it would be best to be straightforward with someone like her, just as her mother had taught her. This woman had no patience and wouldn't enjoy the dance. Toga, however, would, which was why she was going through this in a roundabout way.

The act of turning her head was made difficult by the towering headdress, but she managed, forcing her eyes not to be as cold as her heart was the day she saw her father beheaded by the man she'd been made a present to.

"Most honored empress, if it would please you, I pray you would listen to my abrupt request. Someone of my station has no right, but I simply must…" She allowed herself to trail off and glance away, biting her full lower lip.

The hand on hers told her she was doing it right. "Be as bold as you like with me, little chick," she responded huskily, "for tonight I am in a good mood. The crown prince has been weaned at last and his armor-fitting begins tomorrow."

"Your glorious husband, the emperor who liberated," the word almost stuck in her throat, "my people from tyranny, has not called upon me once." The pout she wore was not manufactured. "I can see why, with a woman as beautiful as you by his side. But it hurts me deeply to think that I do not please him. It is my duty to please the crown, and if he won't have me, then is there any other way I can fulfill my purpose here?" The hand she'd kept under the table transferred from her own knee to the thigh of the empress, her touch softer than the silk that caressed InuKimi's form in her tight dress.

The demoness' smile was all fang. "Come with me. I'll have the next few courses brought up to my rooms. After we've finished, of course."

Izayoi held back a chuckle. InuKimi was used to being a predator and had no idea what trap she'd just walked into. Now the guard dog had fallen through her rabbit hole and there was no going back.

By the end of that night, she was InuKimi's chief lady-in-waiting, a high honor before given only to Inu nobility. The empress' obsession with her brought Izayoi into contact with Toga more and more, allowing her to attend private dinners and even participate in conversations. Most important of all, it helped her continue the dance.

Izayoi was careful to never speak directly to the emperor in these instances and never let him see her studying him. This one liked the dance, she had to remind herself. The waiting would make it sweeter. For the both of them.

One night, when InuKimi had dismissed all her other ladies, Izayoi pulled out the most expensive imported bottle of oil the empress had. The sensual tones of a lute and accompanied flute sounded from behind a wooden screen, played expertly by two blind eunuchs who were well-trained enough to act deaf and mute as well. Feeling generous, she smiled at InuKimi and gestured for her to lay down on the towels already laid upon the bed. Squirting a small portion out, she rubbed her hands together, fancying to herself that she could hear the demoness' heart racing.

The tension the empress carried in her shoulders melted the moment Izayoi touched her.

"Do you think the emperor would enjoy keeping us company one of these nights?" she murmured, trying to keep her frustrations to herself. What was the point of all this if in all these months the emperor hadn't even once visited his wife's private chambers?

InuKimi whimpered when Izayoi's hands moved lower. "Toga hasn't taken me to his bed since I became pregnant with Sesshomaru," she whispered, almost too quiet for her to hear.

"Then take him to yours." With a hard slap to her bottom, InuKimi yelped and jumped to her feet. Smiling sweetly, Izayoi held up the bottle. "My turn!"

The invitation was sent to him that night, inviting him to a private dinner the following week. Izayoi wrote the note herself, dictating it to InuKimi.

The empress gnawed on her claw tips with worry. "But what if he doesn't come? We've hardly spoken. Ever. All our lives—"

Izayoi just smiled and smoothed the fretting woman's hair. "I told you to tell him I'd be there, didn't I? He'll come. At the very least, he's going to be curious."

They didn't receive a reply, but Izayoi didn't let that bother her. He did like the dance, after all. Little did he know she was the one choosing the music.

When the night arrived, InuKimi could barely compose herself enough to get dressed. She kept buttoning buttons in the wrong place, hands trembling, hair falling in her face. It was quite a shock to see the demoness so frazzled. For the first time, Izayoi actually had to act as a lady-in-waiting. Finally, they got her ready, and not a minute too soon since the emperor chose to arrive five minutes early, which was even worse than arriving a half hour late.

Beginning to see some of what was going on between the two, Izayoi meekly walked behind InuKimi as she was supposed to do, waiting until the two were seated until she sat down herself. Both of them sat stiffly, their expressions blank, not saying a word or giving any indication they ever would. Holding in an impatient sigh, she realized this would be up to her. A discreet flick of her finger had the servants rushing to pour their wine (which she'd ordered strengthened) and bring forth the serving carts. They too knew who to obey by now.

After a discreet nudge from Izayoi, InuKimi gave Toga a trembling smile that showed no teeth.

"I almost thought you would not accept my invitation, Lord Emperor."

Toga stared at her impassively, as though waiting for her to continue speaking. It was enough to make even Izayoi feel uncomfortable. Finally, he sipped some wine.

"I nearly didn't. Ambassador Naraku was just sent to Higurashi. I had planned to dine with him and discuss his duties concerning the barbarians, but his enthusiasm for this 'project' of his made him so unbearable that I preferred even your company."

His tone was light and neutral, but his words visibly pierced InuKimi. Her large eyes glanced at her lady-in-waiting, begging her for help. It was obvious enough that Toga turned his attention to her as well. Everything was so close to being ruined…

Eyes on the blood red wine in front of her, Izayoi reminded herself that she was the last soldier loyal to her family. Too much effort had gone into this to stop now. Meekly, she played her part and served first the emperor and then the empress, leaving the last, smallest, least-desirable portions for herself. InuKimi seemed tapped dry as far as conversation was concerned. The adrenaline buzzed off of her and radiated, filling the room. Screeching golden knives on porcelain plates grated against her ears. But this was all part of the dance. How long now had she bided her time, making her outfits subtly more revealing, giving the emperor smiles so quick he could have imagined them, laying the groundwork? Too long. She was but a novice, but after tonight, that would all change.

Though she didn't say a word, Toga eyed her as though she did speak, his attention on her completely. This was the closest they'd ever been to each other. They were almost alone. Once she realized that, her heart began to beat a little faster. Izayoi wondered if they could hear it.

"Sesshomaru is doing well," InuKimi said simply to fill the silence. "He was just weaned."

Toga nodded politely, as though she were a stranger telling him about some child he'd never met and didn't care to meet.

"This late? Is he not well over a year old now?"

The empress' hands shook. "The crown prince is three months old." Turning to Izayoi, she explained, "Humans do things differently, don't they? In Inu, we wean them as soon as the fangs come in."

"I don't know much about child-rearing," Izayoi said demurely. "I have yet to even lay with a man. Thoughts of children seem so far."

If at all possible, Toga's attention was even more focused on her.

"And so they should remain. I would hate to think of anything so taxing spoiling your figure," the empress said, a spark back in her eye.

"Well, she is a human," Toga chimed in. "Life will do it to her whether she ever conceives or not."

InuKimi gaped at him, glancing back at Izayoi, looking like she wanted to say something and defend her but the mere presence of her husband made it impossible.

Izayoi just smiled and drained the last of her wine. "And you as well, Your Majesty. Your decay won't come as swiftly as mine, but it will come all the same."

Toga turned away from her. "Can the boy walk yet? I get reports from his nurses, but they've piled up unread. There are more important things to consider."

The trembling of InuKimi's mouth returned. "In a few months more." Her voice was hard and she threw her fine linen napkin down on her dirty, still full plate, not considering that someone would have to clean it. "Forgive me, but I am tired and would like to bathe. Izayoi, will you attend me?"

With a single wave of her hand, Izayoi dismissed the empress, violet eyes focused on Toga.

Meekly, InuKimi left her dining chamber, probably to cry and break priceless things before taking someone to her bed and passing out.

Toga stared at her, somewhere between shock and amusement. "I've never seen her so docile before. It almost makes her interesting."

As she stood, the screech of the chair across the wood floor made the emperor flinch. Boldly, she walked over to him, shoving the small circular table and not caring when it flipped over. Too stunned to react, Izayoi took advantage of his stillness and brought one silk slipper up to his crotch, pressing it in as hard as she dared.

"On your knees."

A fire ignited in his eyes. "What the hell do you—"

Izayoi slapped him as hard as she could. "On. Your. Knees," she hissed.

The emperor knelt at the feet of the former princess. Allowing herself a moment to soak in the sight, she lifted up her skirts and grabbed him by the tail he wore his hair in, forcing his hot mouth onto her wet slit. Like a starving man, he drove his inhumanly large tongue into her, seeking out all she had to offer. When he moaned, she knew he had discovered that she spoke the truth and had never before been with a man. Right when her legs began to tremble and she feared she would fall, she yanked him away, slapping him with one hand and holding him back with the other when he tried to seek out her pussy again.

"Stay," she said firmly, feeling amused when his face darkened at the dog command. "If you turn around, I'll punish you worse."

A seemingly innocuous wooden cabinet was one of many in InuKimi's private dining room. If it came to anyone's notice, they would have most likely assumed it to be filled with plates and glasses, normal things. It was a new addition to the room, something Izayoi had installed on her first day of service. She pulled out the key and her eyes lit up at the tools of her trade. Scanning the items within, she finally decided on the one whip she had yet to use. Normally, such things were used to tease and play, but tonight Izayoi was not playing. This particular whip had many tails, half of them ending in sharp bits of shell. From that first time she'd seen the emperor, she'd known he was the one for this. People like him were special. Many didn't even know what they needed.

But she did.

Without a warning, she turned around and brought the whip down with all her strength. Since he was much stronger than any human or ordinary demon, he did little more than flinch, and then only because she'd caught him by surprise. Again and again she brought the whip down, tearing the air with the whistling sound of the blows, ripping his clothing to shreds. The first bit of blood she drew had her smiling. Almost there. Small trickles of blood ran down and dripped onto the floor. Deciding she was finished with that side, she went to his front.

Silent up until this point, he released the smallest of whimpers when the whip met the hard muscles of his chest. It was a sound more precious to her than any impassioned scream she'd evoked during her training. She couldn't wait anymore.

"On your back," she panted.

He obeyed, wincing when his torn flesh met the carpet. Bunching her skirts up around her hips, she slowly lowered herself onto his pulsing hard cock. Mercilessly, she rode him, allowing him the honor of taking her virgin blood in return for his. Her mother had warned her it would hurt, but Izayoi felt no pain through the rush of power. Again, she brought down the whip on his chest. Each time she struck him, his cock twitched and throbbed inside of her. It was a race now. Faster and faster she rode him, until finally her orgasm blinded her, making her scream and collapse on his wounded chest.

When she got her breathing back, she rose to her feet. "I'm going to join the empress in the bath. Have a good evening, Your Majesty." With a small smirk, she eyed his weeping cock, softly closing the door on his confused expression.

By the end of the week, she was the queen, the second of Toga's wives and the only one in more than name only. By the end of the month, she was his mate. By the end of the year, their son was born.

Nobody had ever thought to dominate the emperor. Not a single person would have had the courage had it even occurred to them. And Toga being Toga had been too proud to reveal what he wanted. But Izayoi always knew what a man wanted. Pleasure or pain or both, she had been trained in it all. And, as much as the Inu didn't acknowledge it, they were canine. Dogs craved a master, or, in this case, a mistress. Fortunately, no one thought any less of their emperor for his preferences. Toga's preferences also included seeing her dominate and humiliate other powerful men, and so she did it whenever he wanted. All the court fell over themselves to be her toy. While most Inu were wary of humans at the very least, they'd come to accept Izayoi with open arms. She was more Inu than the best of them and could probably teach the empire's whores new tricks.

All the songs of her ended with the same kind of line:

 _While the throne is the empress' seated place_

 _Izayoi's is on the emperor's face_

 **O\o/O**

Inuyasha sighed. Whenever he'd had a problem growing up with some of the more rigid members of the court not accepting him, Izayoi had set them straight. Usually with her vagina. It had certainly made life easier as a kid, but it was still weird having everyone be nice to him just because they'd boned his mom or hoped to do so. Like he tended to do, he pushed those unpleasant thoughts away and focused on what was currently pissing him off.

"I'd be happier to see you if you all hadn't dragged me back here just to marry me off to some idiot I've never even met!"

Izayoi glared. "You're being so selfish! Of course I got a son who doesn't even think about my feelings. You _have_ to get married!"

He barely held back a growl. "How is my not wanting to be forced into marriage selfish?"

Crossing her arms, she intensified her glare. Had he been a few years younger, he'd be begging for forgiveness by now.

"Because! Toga says I can't have another child until you are wed. It's the Inu way and he's not budging. Believe me, I've tried everything." She sighed, some of the tension melting from her. "I want to have a girl. I must pass down the lessons of my people or they will die out."

Inuyasha knew how important that was for her. Groaning internally, he asked, "How long do I have?"

"A year and a day. We'll throw all sorts of balls and comb the world over for a suitable princess."

"Human or demon?"

"Both, though I know your preferences." Izayoi not-so-slyly glanced at Sango, who was trying her best to appear like she wasn't eavesdropping.

Inuyasha hoped his mother was just teasing him. A nervous laugh left his lips. "Uh, I have to check in with father and then there's some other business I've got to see to."

Izayoi nodded. "Your father's in his war room." Tugging on the leash, she turned and waved before leaving.

Feeling his tension mount, Inuyasha wordlessly walked the familiar path to the war room, knowing without looking that Sango would catch up. She always did, since it was her greatest desire to be by his side. Suddenly, she seemed more valuable to him than ever. With this sudden marriage, he wouldn't just be losing his shadow, his bodyguard, he would be losing his best friend, someone he'd come to rely on almost as much as he relied on himself. Just like the loss of a limb, their separation would be beyond painful. But he'd get through it. He had to, for the empire.

Unlike most other rooms in the main palace, the war room was not crammed full of finery to the point of assaulting the eyes. Rather, it was understated, the power radiating subtly from the clean lines in the old dark wood that lined the walls. There were currently maps hung all around, some placed on the center table where Toga and Naraku, one of his closest advisors, sat, their murmuring of tactics silenced once he arrived.

"I hope your journey went well," Naraku said with a nod. "Any news on how things fare in Higurashi?"

Inuyasha bristled at being addressed by the greasy man first. To him, it was just another slight from the emperor. "Nothing more than what I've communicated in my missives."

The advisor sighed, eyes flashing with anger before it disappeared and a careful blankness took its place. He turned to the emperor. "I suppose that is all we can expect from your youngest. I will travel to Higurashi and see how things go for myself, sire, if I have your leave."

Toga nodded, eyes on Inuyasha as they had been the entire time. "Have you spoken to your mother yet? She was so happy to hear you'd be coming home."

"Yes," the word was dragged from him reluctantly. Inuyasha wanted nothing more than to throw the table out the window and run away through the broken shards, going back to lead his men in Higurashi where there was tangible evil to fight. "The queen and the crown prince have told me everything, so there's no need for me to linger here."

One brow raised. "It's been almost a year since I've seen you, son. I'd like to hear about more than just supplies and battles."

"Again, I have nothing to report other than what was in my missives." A stiff bow was his goodbye, and then he was free of the oppressive war room. Finally, he could breathe again.

Sango gaped at him. "You can't just talk to the emperor like that!" she hissed. "I haven't seen you disrespect him so brazenly since—since—well, ever!"

"I _can_ talk to the old man like that and I just did!" he snapped. "At least you should be on my side!"

Her eyes softened. Reaching out to touch him, she stopped just short of his shoulder. That said enough.

"Do you want to break one last one in before all the balls and courting begin?" he asked, trying his best to appear at least somewhat enthusiastic.

Sango grinned, tears in her eyes that she would not let fall. "Anything for you, my prince."

 **O\o/O**

Kikyo came awake in stages.

At first, she could only hear. A drop of water fell again and again into an ever-increasing puddle. Then she smelled mold and mildew. Were they in a cave? They were somewhere in the mountains… Her body no longer felt fuzzy but instead heavy and pained. That shocked her enough that the adrenaline woke her completely.

The room they were in was most likely a cellar, judging by the damp and the rickety wooden stairs she could barely make out. The thin ray of light from under the door at the top of the stairs lit the room just enough so that when her panicking eyes adjusted, she could see the bonds that held her against the slimy rock wall. They were thick, multiple strands of something that seemed familiar but frightening in their familiarity. Horse hair? Or human…

And then came the moment of complete, crushing terror.

Across the room, hanging from the wall in a way much like she herself was, was Kagome.

The girl was still unconscious and Kikyo wished she could be glad for so small a blessing. It wasn't until she realized Kagome was nude that she realized she was nude as well. That brought the entire situation some clarity.

They were slaves now.

Most likely, they were somewhere in enemy territory, the Inu empire. All that running, all the sweat and blood and tears, all for _nothing_. She'd failed Kagome. Even worse, she'd failed Suikotsu. The life he'd given for her was all for nothing. All for nothing. Now she would spend the rest of her days being defiled and raped by a man that was not him, not her good doctor, not the one she loved. All for nothing. It was all for nothing.

Something inside her, something vital that had come to life with Suikotsu, died and went to rest with him.


	5. Sold Into Concupiscence

**Five: Sold into Concupiscence**

Miroku steeled himself, too nervous to do more than give the women serving him tea an appreciative glance. This was important. He couldn't let himself be distracted, not even if the woman currently waiting on him had hips like a lute… If he didn't get the money, then he wouldn't be able to have beautiful goddesses such as these entertain him. Also, he wouldn't be able to eat by the end of the week.

Finally, at only forty-five minutes late, Mushin sat down across from him. His large form made lowering himself down onto the silk cushions a feat requiring great exertion, but a few of the women recognized him and jumped to help their best customer. By the time he was settled, he was red-faced (more so than usual) and sweating. Grabbing for the tea, he grimaced at the taste and gestured at the women for something stronger.

"Ah, Miroku, my boy, whenever I see that face I'm reminded of your father." Fondness replaced mild irritation in his expression. "Some people get everything. Looks, money, noble birth, smarts, charm. He was one of those."

Miroku nodded and tried not to grind his teeth. "Yes, Master Mushin, I remember well." He didn't, really. He'd seen the man a handful of times, mostly from a distance. "My heart forever sorrows at his untimely passing."

Mushin grunted in sympathy and drank his wine from the bottle. Rivulets leaked from the corners of his mouth and dripped down his fat face and many chins, staining the fine garments he wore.

"There'll ne'er be a man like him, boy," he slurred. "And you certainly aren't fit to carry on his name."

Ignoring that, the young man smiled tightly and called for food and more drink, keeping his mind on thoughts of what the money would bring him.

Miroku's father was a human of noble birth in Inu, something very rare. Unlike the demonic nobles, their residences were not in the sky but remained on the earth. His earliest memories were of his ancestral home, a beautiful, sprawling old mansion like something out of a fairy story. Like all things that were beautiful, his father had to destroy it, and his gambling debts led to it being sold before he was even a decade old. His father continued to live his life unchanged, not a single lesson learned, leaving Miroku to be raised by his old friend Mushin, which meant Miroku was truly raised by a series of maids and nannies whose primary duties were bedding the master of the house.

"The university told me they have not yet received payment for the upcoming semester," he began, hoping the man was drunk enough that this would be easy. "I am so close to enlightenment, I can feel it, Master Mushin. Just a few hundred—"

Mushin slammed down the wine bottle and laughed, his face quickly becoming stern. His mood swings got worse and worse as the years went by and the younger man had to force himself not to flinch. "I sent you to school to network, not read books like some kinda idiot!" He sighed. "What would your father think if he could see you now? You prefer tea to liquor, honey cakes to grilled meat… Nearing thirty and still a failure with women and cards."

The barmaids surrounding him giggled, themselves having been on the receiving end of Miroku's attempts at wooing dozens of times.

"Truly, Master Mushin, I do not know what my honored Father would have thought, but I firmly believe he would not ridicule me and instead respect what achievements I have made."

That was just a complete and total lie. While Miroku had never known his father, he knew enough about the man to know he'd be even worse than Mushin. A diehard womanizer, he had married Miroku's mother when he was young solely to produce an heir to the fortune he'd not yet completely depleted. His young wife had died in childbirth, and Miroku's father had rejoiced more at his sudden single status than at the birth of his son. He didn't even stop partying in order to give him a name for his first two weeks of life.

"It pains me greatly to say this to the progeny of my departed best friend, but boy, I am cutting you off." His cold words sliced Miroku to the bone. "You've been going to that damn school for twelve years, living off my hard-earned coin, and it's time I've said enough! You've made no beneficial contacts and don't seem even remotely interested in making your own fortune or finding yourself a rich wife. The Hōshi line truly died with your great father."

"But Master—"

"From this day on, you and I are strangers," Mushin said, eyes hard. "Girls, help me back to my carriage. I'll let you fight amongst yourselves to decide who wins the night with me."

Mushin wobbled away, assisted by three women who were already glaring daggers at one another.

Miroku felt numb. The noise of the tavern had died down and all he could hear was the beating of his own heart pounding away in his ears. The weight of his remaining silver suddenly seemed lighter than it had before. What was he to do now? Shakily, he got to his feet and went to the bar, ready to spend his coin on drinking the pain away.

There was no work to be had for a scholar, he reflected as he sipped at the cheap ale. He enjoyed learning more than anything else and was almost qualified to be one of the university's masters. Just one more year and then he'd have his place among those exalted learned men. But how would he earn the money to go back? Desperate, he'd already begged for loans, but Mushin was still paying off his father's debts and the family name wasn't in good standing with any lender in the entire Inu empire. The university had given him scholarships and grants aplenty, greatly reducing his fee, but there was still a few hundred silver he needed to be able to pay completely. Asking Mushin to keep paying had been his last resort.

He had no marketable skills. He'd never worked a day in his life and it showed. But he was smart. His schools had taught him how to be smart and stay smart, but no one was going to pay a man a wage to quote literature at them. Or maybe they would if he'd had contacts, like Mushin had told him. But the other men he'd known at school were lazy and sent to learn by their parents, reminding him too much of his father for him to even be on a first name basis with them. The only people he could relate to at school were the masters. What was he going to do now that he was losing the only place he'd truly been welcomed?

The barmaid came over, looking for a tip.

"My dear lady," he began, already feeling the buzz, "has no one told you that you have skin like flower petals and a wonderfully fragrant bosom? Perhaps you could show me your room and we two lonely doves could embark on an adventure that would end with you bearing my child?"

A look of pure disgust crossed her face. "What the fuck is your problem?"

Miroku sighed and watched the sway of her hips as she walked away. Another failure. Was he destined to die in a state of physical innocence? The melancholia came upon him and he pondered, trying to choose between getting blackout drunk and finally admitting he wasn't great with women and buying the cheapest whore he could find.

"Have you heard about the job openings at the palace?" a man said from somewhere down the bar. "They're hiring harem guards. Pay's good, free room and board. Plus, you get to be around all the prince's women."

"Doesn't he have over a hundred now? Lucky bastard…"

"And he gets more every time he leaves the palace. Hell, I'd do the same if I had his kind of money."

Miroku's feet took him to the conversing men before his mind knew what they were doing.

"Good sirs, if I may trouble you, where does one sign up for this guard duty you're speaking of?"

Leaning back, put off by his very close proximity, the man who had spoken first said, "Uh, the center marketplace? That's where my brother-in-law said it would be, anyway."

Miroku was off before the man had finished speaking.

The men turned to each other with puzzled faces.

"Funny guy. He didn't look like a eunuch, though."

 **O\o/O**

Kagome awoke out of nothingness to more nothingness.

Her head felt like it was stuffed with that cotton candy thing Hojo had given to her once when they were children. She'd hated the overly sugary taste and forever associated her feelings for him with that candy. He was just like it: nice, but niceness was fleeting and too much was suffocating.

Blinking rapidly, she realized that rather than lying down she was upright and held down to a cold surface. Struggling against her bonds, her sight began to adjust. The bonds were squirming back against her and she cringed, whimpering in fright. What were they made of? They were like tentacles…of _hair_? She couldn't take it anymore.

"Kikyo!" she screeched, trembling in fear. Only the squeaks and rustles of rats greeted her, making her sob. " _Kikyo_!"

Kagome's tear-filled eyes finally noticed the figure across from her. Completely still, the pale form of her sister hung limp against the opposite wall. The sight was enough to have her struggle harder, but what drove her to yank and claw at her bonds until they pulled tight and cut her flesh was that Kikyo's eyes were open. Dull and blank, they stared at the ground. The Queen's head was at an awkward angle and she reminded Kagome of an abandoned doll. All that prevented the younger girl from thinking she was dead was the slight rise and fall of her chest.

So why hadn't she answered her screams?

The door at the top of the stairs opened and more light flooded the room, making it a little brighter than too dim to make out shapes. Sara descended the steps, another woman Kagome didn't recognize behind her. Both held delicately painted porcelain lamps, fine things that were hard to come by in Higurashi, even for a princess. The two of them barely glanced at Kikyo before coming over to her, smiles on their faces that made her feel sick.

"I hope your nap was restful, sweet one," Sara said, her voice more melodious than the music of her flute had been. "This is my sister, Yura. I told you about her, remember?"

Something about the condescension in her tone enraged Kagome. Forgetting the pain of her wounds and all the fear she felt, she lashed out, first with her limbs, but when they were prevented from moving, with her words.

"I trusted you!" she screamed. "Kikyo and I trusted you and you betrayed us!"

Sara slapped her. Kagome was shocked into silence. No one had ever hit her before. It brought new tears to her eyes.

"And you're a liar several times over," she said in a rougher voice, affected mannerisms temporarily abandoned. "I may not be able to always tell when you're lying like a full demon can, but because of that I learned to not rely just on my senses. I have a brain and I _use_ it." Yura put a hand on her shoulder and Sara calmed, mouth returning to the small, barely there smile she'd always had before. "I knew you and your sister were different from what you said you were right away. Your hands are too soft to belong to a peasant. And your sister had gold coins sewn into the lining of her dress."

"Isn't it about time we found out who these lost little lambs really are, sister?" Yura said, eyes fixated on Kagome's dripping self-inflicted wounds with a sick fascination. A giggle left her blood red lips and Kagome felt her bonds tighten in what almost felt like an embrace, tendrils of hair caressing her most intimate parts. "I like this one."

Sara smiled and brought out her flute. "Think of her as a belated birthday gift."

Yura squealed and pulled her sister to her, kissing her on the mouth. The human girl gagged, horrified. They were _sisters_! Weren't they? Girls weren't supposed to kiss like that, especially related ones! Their illicit kiss went on for a long while before they pulled apart with a wet sound. When Sara turned back to her audience, her lips and chin were smeared a pinkish red.

"Time to tell us all your secrets, pretty girl," Yura purred.

Kagome's bonds loosened. Just as she was about to sag in relief, they crisscrossed her breasts and squeezed the breath out of her. The half-demon woman began to play her flute, and this time it wasn't a melody. It was just a note, played over and over again. Oddly, it was a sound she'd never heard before. It made her sweat.

"First off," Yura began, running her fingers across Kagome's now red breasts, "what are your names?"

"Kagome!" she gasped out. "And my sister is Kikyo." If she were able, she would have covered her mouth in shock. She hadn't even been aware she was going to speak! What was happening to her?

"Where are you really from?"

"Higurashi!" she shouted, sounding eager even though she was anything but. Tears flowed down her face and she sobbed silently in shame.

Sara stopped playing her flute long enough to laugh. "I don't think it's ever been this easy, sister."

Yura nodded, the look on her face pensive. "You're right. It's not even fun." Glancing at Kagome's crying face, she smirked. "Maybe it's a _little_ fun. But we've had so many women from Higurashi it's become almost routine. I'm sick of these damn dirty refugees. No one wants to pay much for them. At least this one isn't ugly."

Her sister shrugged, looking bored. "Should we keep going?"

"Yeah, I guess. They did have gold, after all, and this one doesn't look like the average Higurashi peasant." A smile suddenly lit up her face. "I know! We can try with the other one. She looks like a tough bitch. Maybe she'll at least put up a fight."

Sara looked at Kikyo uncertainly. The entire time they'd been there, she hadn't moved once. Her eyes stared blankly at the ground and she had barely blinked. It was almost as if she was dead. But Yura was already in front of Kikyo, examining the woman's scarred, muscular body with distaste. The half-demon played her flute again.

Yura grabbed Kikyo by the hair, forcing her head up and staring her directly in the eye. Whatever she saw there didn't impress her.

"Who are you two?"

It was vague. Kikyo had hoped it would be. There was only so much she could do, now that her power was somehow inaccessible to her at the moment. When they'd started in on Kagome, she'd known the girl wouldn't be able to resist. Never before had she experienced trials in her life. She didn't even have any priestess powers.

That absence of power made it so Kagome was a princess in name only. It was a great shame for a girl from a priestess family to not have powers, many times greater for the ruling family, but Kikyo had shielded her from all that, taking on duties that should have been Kagome's and making them hers. Her little sister was weak, so she had to be twice as strong. Most girls like her were killed once it became obvious their powers would never manifest. But Kagome was different. It had been obvious from birth that she was bereft of even a spark of power. Her aura was so bland and muted it screamed "abomination" to anyone with spiritual senses. And that was the true reason Kagome's marriage to a foreigner from afar had been arranged, the first such royal marriage in Higurashi history. There was no other use for her and she must not be allowed to breed with their own people lest she produce children like herself.

But none of that mattered now. Kikyo still had to protect her, and so she forced herself to act, gathering the last bit of energy inside her, energy she knew might not ever regenerate. Her will wouldn't last much longer.

"I am a warrior. Kagome serves the Queen."

It was true. Kikyo was a warrior, that was what she felt herself to be above all. And Kagome did serve the Queen. Everyone in Higurashi served the Queen.

Sara stopped playing. "Are we done?"

Yura slammed Kikyo's head against the wall. For a minute, Kikyo despaired, falling further into her internal abyss. She hadn't done it right, hadn't acted convincingly enough, hadn't been good enough. And the demon had seen through it and was going to turn them in to their greatest enemy, where they'd suffer unheard of horrors she'd sooner kill herself than experience—

"Gods! I was hoping for something good but it's just the same old shit!" Yura pouted. "A soldier and a maid. They looted their precious queen's castle and ran away. Blah blah blah. Same old, same old."

Sara put the flute away. "Times are hard. They say slavery is going to be phased out soon, too. The empire suddenly takes issue with it. The taxes we have to pay from slave sales make it so that we're barely breaking even."

Yura snorted. "They're the ones creating all the slaves! We almost never have to catch girls anymore, they'll give themselves to us hoping to find a sugar daddy!" She grinned. "And some people very high up in Inu are my best customers."

"Your 'best customer' hasn't visited us in nearly a year."

The demoness looked like she was going to hit her sister. "Word has it that he's back. I called him when we got this one in. He always pays handsomely for his type."

Sara rolled her eyes. "The sooner we get them out of here, the better. Higurashi girls are dirt cheap these days, and the money we spend feeding them isn't even worth it."

Yura crossed the room back to the weeping Kagome.

"I dunno," she said contemplatively, eyes scanning the girl's body, unblemished but for some mostly healed wounds on her feet and the marks from pulling on the ropes of hair. "I do like this one _very_ much."

Disgusted with the woman before her and hating everything about herself, especially what made the demoness attracted to her, Kagome did the most unladylike thing she could think of and spat in her captor's face.

All movement in the basement room ceased.

Sara stared in horror, glancing between the slave and her sister, appearing worried.

Kikyo wanted to say something to her sister, wished she had thought to tell her to act meek and lull them into a false sense of security so they could take advantage of any opportunity to escape. But now she could only tremble. At that moment, she realized her bonds had loosened, the demon's power waning in her shock.

Pulling her wrist away, she freed a captive limb.

As soon as it had released, the ropes of hair tightened, back in full force, squeezing her tighter than ever before, and she was once again completely imprisoned.

Yura laughed and wiped her face. With a hand covered in spit, she slapped Kagome hard across the face, right in the same spot the half-demon had slapped her earlier. She was rougher than Sara had been, being stronger, and the human girl felt a sharp pain in her neck, the muscles damaged. A rope of hair rose up and gagged her and she choked in disgust.

"I knew I liked you," Yura said breathily. "I've decided! I won't sell you. I'm going to keep you and tame you. Soon you'll be just another dumb slave slut, begging me to notice you enough to hurt you." Her hand encircled Kagome's neck, cutting off her air. "I'll rent out your every hole to any lowlife that wants a quick fuck. In a few years, you'll look twice your age. That's when I'll throw you away. In a few more years, you'll die diseased and insane in some shit-filled gutter." She giggled and released her throat, watching her prisoner's blue face struggle to gulp in air. "This is going to be so fun!"

Kikyo's heart felt like it was going to burst in her chest. Never had she imagined failing to protect Kagome to this degree. She would have been better off in what remained of Higurashi. It was all her fault. Everything was all for nothing. The life Suikotsu had given his own to save was destroyed, and it was all her fault. If he could see her now, he'd wish he had let her be struck down like she was supposed to be. At least then she would have died a hero's death, resisting oppression, while Kagome escaped with Hojo and went on to live in Hekigan. All for nothing. He wouldn't even recognize her now. His precious life…all for nothing.

"Sara!" Yura barked. "Start shaving that one. Gods, these Higurashi bitches are disgusting. Don't even fucking groom themselves."

The former Queen didn't react at the sight of the razor, nor did she react as a soapy cloth was taken to her most private, sacred place.

"It's like a fucking jungle down here!" Sara complained, and with a few quick strokes with the blade, the slave was bare. The half-demon rubbed oil into her skin until it glistened.

A bell tinkled upstairs, barely audible to human ears.

Yura grinned. "Take that one up. Charge a hundred and fifty silver for her." Dragging sharp nails up Kagome's thigh, she continued, "I'm going to stay down here and play with my new toy. Give him my regards."

"One-fifty!?" Sara gasped. "I thought they'd be worth no more than what I gave them in the purses."

"You know as well as I do that I can charge him whatever I want. The bastard has no concept of money."

Chuckling to herself at her sister's business savvy, she easily hefted Kikyo over her shoulder once the ropes of hair released her. Each step she took was like a knife in Kagome's gut, her stomach falling in dread faster than the tears fell from her eyes. How was this happening? Why had the gods abandoned them? What was their sin?

A cold hand cupping her between her legs brought her out of her inner monologue.

The touch fanned the flames of her resistance and her will to fight was renewed. Even though escape was impossible, Kagome struggled, the ropes digging into her wounded flesh further, but she hardly felt it with all the adrenaline coursing through her veins.

"Keep it up, my pretty whore. It's more fun this way," Yura said, her fingers wiggling against that special place.

That someone could take such pleasure from her agony confused Kagome and caused her greater pain. People could be like this? Was the whole world like this? Now she didn't know if she should continue fighting if her captor liked it so much. The gods had cursed them, cursed all of Higurashi and each and every one of its inhabitants. She deserved everything being done to her. After all, every bit of this was her fault.

But Kikyo didn't.

At that thought, everything in her screamed at her to fight. Kikyo was gone. Something was wrong with her sister, something on the inside. She had to save her, first from their current predicament and then from whatever hell she was suffering inside her head. The violence of her attempts at freedom increased. She'd sooner die than be separated from her sister!

Yura ran her palm over Kagome's mons, a small moan escaping her. "The Inu bitches like to shave themselves bare. Everyone's doing it now. I'm glad it hasn't spread to Higurashi. I like my women to look like women." She tugged on Kagome's pubic hair and the girl cried out from behind the gag in revulsion. Her tormentor smirked. "You better get over your prejudices now. A _woman_ is going to be your introduction to sex. A _woman_ is going to touch you every possible way to touch you." Leaning closer, she licked her cheek. "Inside and out."

The former princess had not known two women could do that together. Her lessons had been more along the lines of etiquette, fashion, music, dancing, and managing servants. The only things she knew about sex came from Kikyo, who had grown tired of her incessant questions and finally told her the truth: a man and a woman who were married went to bed together naked, kissed, said their prayers, and then in a year they had babies growing ripe in the garden. Simple. The formula didn't have room for two women.

The demoness took one waving lock of Kagome's hair and twirled the end around her nipple. The girl was horrified when her body responded in a way that wasn't entirely rebellious. It had tickled, but it was a good kind of tickle. That was supposed to revolt her!

"I can make this nice, if you want. Or I can make it hurt." Yura pinched Kagome's stiff nipple hard between her fingers, twisting it. A satisfied look crossed her face when she heard the girl's muted scream. "Which would you prefer?"

Mouth freed, her courage returned with her ability to speak and be heard. "I would rather you kill me!" That was the only option for a woman when faced with violation: death. To survive with her purity sullied would be a great shame, almost as great as her lack of power. What was she worth without her virginity? Less than nothing. Gagged again, she glared with all her might, willing her abductor to either kill her or let her go.

Yura smirked. "I don't recall giving you that option."

A length of Yura's possessed hair squirmed up Kagome's body like a greasy black tentacle, growing thicker and thicker in mere seconds, right before her eyes. Soon it was bigger than a muscular man's forearm. Like it was sentient, it caressed her face almost lovingly.

Red lips brushed against Kagome's face and a pink tongue traced the auricle of her ear. "I'm going to penetrate you," Yura whispered. Sharp teeth bit her earlobe, drawing blood. "First in your pretty virgin pussy, and then in your tight virgin ass."

The thick length of hair slithered back down her body. Kagome froze in panic, bile rushing up until she could taste it. The thing rubbed against her netherlips, poking and prodding her. Yura reached down to caress it as though it could feel. The girl wondered if the act would be worse than the anticipation of it.

She hoped not.

 **O\o/O**

Miroku was beyond surprised at the lack of a crowd in the marketplace. True, they were closing up and ordinarily it would be almost deserted, but shouldn't men be knocking each other down and fighting to get to the interview location? Shouldn't the streets be full to bursting? He had rushed over thinking he'd have to wait in a line with as many red-blooded men as there were grains of sand on a beach to even take a number. The news must have only just circulated, he decided. There was no way any man with a functioning cock would pass up this opportunity.

The small building with a thatched roof that stood in the center of the marketplace seemed hardly a location where all his wildest and wettest dreams would come true, but he supposed appearances were deceiving. Inside the foyer crowded four men, sitting huddled so close together and with such unremarkable presences that he nearly tripped right over them. Clearing his throat awkwardly, he sat next to them, arranging his robes around him. His fellows were rather soft-looking, all either bald or balding, looking like overgrown babies.

Miroku smiled secretly to himself. He was sure to get hired.

While not muscular like a warrior or a professional athlete, he was fit. He ran regularly while he was at school, and lifting heavy old tomes all day had given him some muscle definition. And he had a full head of hair. While surely that wasn't a requirement, looking like a normal man could only work in his favor.

A man who looked disturbingly similar to the other men came out from the main room and motioned to the one sitting next to him. They retreated behind the heavy wooden door, both of them with strange gaits and hunched shoulders. Miroku nearly gasped aloud. Perhaps they were all related!? But then he'd never get this job! Never ascend to the palace in the clouds mortals hardly ever saw, never earn his tuition, never console a lonely and sexually neglected sexy harem girl who viewed him as her sole protection, never lose his hated virginity…

Frantically, he began composing speeches extolling his education, character, and pedigree, distractedly murmuring the words to himself, heedless of the bemused glances sent his way by the man-babies, who quickly scooted away from him as much as possible in the small space they had. One by one, they were called on back, and sooner than later he was sitting all alone. He didn't even notice that none of the others had returned.

At last, the man from behind the door came back out and motioned to him, stopping mid-gesture and staring at him like he'd never seen his like before. Knowing employers liked confidence, he smiled in a way he hoped was winsome and strode into the interviewing room. There was only one chair and he assumed it was for the other man, mentally patting himself on the back when he sat down and stared at Miroku expectantly.

"Most honored sir, I am Miroku Hōshi. I must say what a sincere pleasure it is to make your acquaintance.

"Ever since I was just a boy, I held myself to the highest standards. Loyalty runs through my veins and my will to serve the empire of Inu is as solid as the hardest—"

The bald, fleshy man pulled down Miroku's pants.

He screeched. "I am saving myself for a beautiful lady of the highest order! How dare you!"

The interviewer sighed. "Just as I thought." Giving Miroku a glare, he pulled a serrated knife from somewhere in his voluminous sleeves. "Harem guard positions go solely to eunuchs. Is it really your dream job?"

Panicking, the disgraced nobleman did the only thing he knew how to do and thrust what was left of his coin at the man, shedding his rings and a thick gold chain he wore around his neck as well, showering the eunuch master in gold.

After a few seconds, he put the knife away and pulled Miroku's pants up for him, giving him what felt like an almost maternal pat on the bottom.

"Well, you definitely don't have any balls, buddy. Let's get you to the palace."

Feeling faint, Miroku followed the man out to where a carriage was waiting, the other eunuchs already packed inside, huddled like they'd been in the foyer. When the eunuch master closed the door, he found he had a hard time breathing. The other men (could they truly be called men?) were glaring at him and he felt afraid. Was this to be his life from now on?

A smile curled its way across his face. If his fellow guards jumped him, at least a sex-hungry harem girl would be there to kiss his bruises better.

 **O\o/O**

The red-light district in the Inu capital city of Inukai was in the process of being cleaned up, but the efforts had only come so far. It was still seedy as hell and a hotbed of criminal activities of all sorts. The streets were too narrow for his carriage, so it was left a few buildings away on a broader road leading out of the district. Unafraid, Inuyasha walked with his shadow dressed in finery the people surrounding him had never seen before and most likely would never see again. Without a glance to the dirty peasants hiding in rundown doorways and gaping at the splendid sight he was sure he made, he strode purposefully towards his destination. His mind could only dwell on one thing.

It had been way too long since he'd last had a good, proper fuck.

Sango too, of course.

Ever since his teens, Inuyasha had enjoyed few things more than breaking a slave. It had all started with a particular slave brought to the kitchens when he was sixteen. After a week, the place was in an uproar. Apparently, she was lazy and mean and had a powerful right hook. He and Sango had gone to take a look at her and he had been surprised when his body reacted to the sight of her in a way he was used to it only reacting to Sango. Truly his mother's son, by sunrise on the third day he'd turned her from a belligerent bitch not worth the gruel she was given as pay to his own demure sex-craved whore. That had been the first, but certainly not the last. From then on, he'd gotten a new slave at least every month or two. Some girls were more difficult than others. Those were his favorites.

The most difficult ones in the entire empire, he'd found, came from Yura's Pet Shoppe.

Sango was along not merely as his shadow but also as his partner. He always utilized her help during training the slaves. If she wasn't there keeping her watchful eyes on him, he'd probably go overboard. Being a half-demon who almost exclusively enjoyed human women, it was sometimes difficult to keep his passions in check with his frailer slaves, and he didn't really want to harm them. Sure, he could be rough, and he felt that sometimes a little pain was necessary for greater pleasure, but he never drew blood and they never bore marks of cruelty.

They arrived at the massive shop and Inuyasha was already hard in anticipation, a condition made worse by the sights in the display windows. Blondes, redheads, and brunettes of all body types were crammed in partitioned areas right in front of the window like you'd see in a regular pet shop. Some girls were all by themselves, tied up, gagged, and displayed, hands fighting to free themselves and touch their dripping slit. In some areas as many as ten girls were together in a giant orgy, tongues and fingers working frantically to tease and arouse and touch whoever they could reach. But he wasn't here for them.

For years now, he'd been doing business with Yura. Her latest message had reached him just as he was about to leave the palace to go to her shop. Knowing the merchandise was already waiting for him and he wouldn't have to waste time browsing was a relief. At first seeming like an airhead, Yura was a serious businesswoman who knew what he liked and went above and beyond to supply it to him. His type was hard to find in a place like Inu: small breasts, big bouncy ass, brunette, tough, intact maidenhead. Like Sango.

Inuyasha overwhelmingly preferred his women to be virgins. It wasn't exactly a fetish, and he didn't really have a thing for the act of deflowering, but it was the thought that he was the only one these women had been with that got him going. As long as they remained with him, they had no other lovers. Being the one to teach them how to love with their bodies was exhilarating, too. Seeing the look on a woman's face when she realized she wasn't as demure and pure as she thought was what he lived for. It was difficult to find a virgin of his preferred age from the Inu empire. Every Inu citizen was familiar with sex by the time they were in their mid-teens, and he preferred his women a little older, closer to his own age. The anticipation of a new slave that was his exact type had him straining against his breeches, eager to fill the virgin woman.

A bell tinkled prettily as they entered the shop. Inuyasha took a deep breath, his cock twitching at all the aroused scents of the women in the shop. Quick as a flash, the half-demon assistant and main procurer appeared from behind a back door marked "Employees Only". Inuyasha smelled the woman Sara was carrying before he saw her. If he had a tail, it would be wagging. She was absolutely perfect. Tall, slender, and muscled with long black hair that flowed like a gentle waterfall to her delicious-looking ass. Scars crisscrossed her body, but that only made him want her more. He liked strong women. Sara dropped the woman on the inspection chair and forced her down. It didn't require a lot of effort, since the woman seemed beyond resisting. It was almost as though she wasn't even aware what was happening. Even with how docile she was, Sara strapped her wrists and ankles and forehead down.

"Why's she collared already?" Inuyasha asked, eyeing the thick black leather ring around her neck, the silver chain that held the true power hidden within

"She was obviously from Higurashi, and we've learned not to take chances with them, what with all the priestess horror stories we've heard."

He snorted. "Pretty sure we killed all those bitches." Unable to help himself, he ran his claws over her collar, brushing his fingers on the soft skin of her throat. He frowned at the complete lack of a response. "I don't feel any power coming from her. But thanks for saving me the trouble." Collars blocked anyone from releasing spiritual or demonic power. Originally used on demonic prisoners, it was now more popularly used to subdue slaves, human or otherwise. They worked well as tracking devices, and there were a few other features that made them interesting.

Giving the woman the entirety of his attention, he finally inspected her. Given how long he'd gone without proper release, he was sure to be thorough. Her eyes were closed, however he had briefly glimpsed them when they had been open, and they were a beautifully rich brown, if a bit dull, but that was understandable considering the circumstances. Her expression was still and calm, not so much peaceful as it was thoroughly expressionless. The lack of fear, anger, or panic was surprising enough to be interesting. For now.

The backs of his fingers couldn't resist running themselves down her body, tracing her scars. Nothing, not even a shiver. Perhaps she had fought in one of the many militias, which would explain her stoicism. Inuyasha bent at the waist and peered at her more closely, examining the little details. Fine, elegant features, a long neck, and perfect little breasts. There were some faint worry lines around her eyes and between her brows, but they would be gone before long. His women never had much to worry about other than receiving his favor.

Brushing aside the long hair that was not uncommon among Higurashi women, he leaned in close and smelled her just behind the ear, where her scent would be strong. Nice. _Very_ nice. Smell was important to dog demons, and if this woman smelled like that after what was probably just a quick once-over with a sponge, things were going to go well between them. Crouching between her legs, he spread open her pussy lips and saw her undamaged cherry for himself. Yes, perfect.

"Name?"

"Kikyo. She was a warrior." Her voice turned slightly annoyed. "Are you going to fuck her here? You certainly look ready enough."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and got to his feet. Despite the two of them being half-demons who had known each other for years, he and Sara had never gotten along. Once upon a time, she'd had a huge thing for his brother, whom she'd met briefly when he'd tagged along on one of Inuyasha's shopping trips on the orders of their father, but he'd shut that down quickly enough with his bullshit talk about dirty blood. It was like she somehow blamed Inuyasha for everything, like he had been the ambassador to his brother for all half-demons and had somehow fucked up his job.

"I'm going to pay and take her away, just like always." Looking her up and down, he said mostly to himself, "I can hardly fucking wait."

She snorted. "I forgot, you like to play those strange little games with your slaves. All right, then. One hundred fifty silver."

Without even batting an eye at the exorbitant price, he nodded at Sango to write the intent to pay. The money would be sent at a later date since he never carried that much on him in this neighborhood. That was far too dangerous. A servant did it instead.

"Buy my sister."

The new voice spoke so suddenly Inuyasha nearly jumped in surprise. Sango actually did.

The slave had spoken.

"Buy my sister or I won't go anywhere with you." Her voice was firm, but the look in her eyes was still blank. Perhaps there was a small spark there where before there had been none, but it was fading fast.

Sara slapped her hard across the face. "You do not order your master!" she barked.

"Sister?" Inuyasha couldn't help it; his ears were standing straight up. His interest had been peaked.

Already knowing what was going to happen, Sara insisted, "She's really not your type at all. The other one's the complete opposite."

A sister. Two at once. It was suddenly all he could think about.

"Bring her to me," he demanded.

Sara sighed in exasperation and disappeared behind the "Employees Only" door.

"Are you sure about this?" Sango asked, brow creased in concern. "You've never done two at once. And these are Higurashi girls. You might accidentally harm them, especially considering where we've been and what we've been going through these past few months."

Inuyasha ignored her. No matter what, he wanted two girls for his last training session before being married off to some boring idiot. Sisters. He would have sisters. He'd had sex with sisters before, but they were from Inu and used to things like that. They weren't his to control. He wanted two beautiful sisters at his command, pure and innocent girls turned into wanton whores. It was something he'd always idly fantasized about, but now he was finally going to make it happen.

Yura burst into the shop, a murderous look on her face. Behind her she dragged something squirming in between thick ropes of hair. The something turned out to be a girl, gagged by the ropes that were so thick and numerous they rendered her nearly invisible. She was very petite and looked like she'd readily chew through her own limbs to be free.

"What?" Yura growled. "I found you another one of your pear-shaped body builders, now pay me and leave me alone! I'm keeping this one. I was just about to finally penetrate her!"

He barely heard her, his attention on the girl he could barely see. She was putting up a good fight, but it was useless against bonds of that sort.

"Lay her down where I can inspect her."

The chaise lounge which was normally used for those who wished to test their purchases a little more intimately before committing (for a fee, of course) was for the first time put to use for him. Obeying his order, the ropes of hair dragged the thrashing girl, yanking her until she was appropriately displayed.

"Ungag her," he said, voice hoarse. So close, he was _so close_ to having one of his greatest fantasies fulfilled. Hopefully she'd be pleasing to the eye.

The rope slithered off her mouth, revealing a pair of perfectly plump lips, a shade he'd never quite seen before, too light to be called red but too dark to be properly pink.

"I'll send you all to hell!" she screeched like some sort of monster. "I'll kill every single one of you! Kikyo! _Kikyo_!"

Inuyasha cringed. "You know what? Just keep her gagged."

Finally, silence was restored. Glancing at the woman in the inspection chair, he saw how her face remained effortlessly blank. She didn't even turn her head the slightest bit to her right to see her sister, not even when she had been calling for her. Obviously she cared for her, if she wanted to be purchased so they could stay together, but why was she acting this way?

Whatever.

"Take the ropes off her, but leave them around her ankles and wrists."

At his command, the ropes slithered away, revealing a body that took his breath away. Unlike her sister, she was all smooth silk, and he knew she'd be soft without even touching her. Inuyasha took a step closer without realizing it. Unblemished and pale, she continued to squirm even though the ropes had pulled her limbs tight and held them that way. Smoothing his hand along the concave of her stomach, he slowly caressed her, moving up her ribs, savoring the feel of her. He could feel how he made her breath catch and quicken. Her breasts were bigger than he preferred. Not even his whole hand could cover one like he was used to with most of his other lovers, but they were still nice. Very nice, he thought, his clawed thumb circling her stiff little pink nipple. A change might be just what he needed.

His strong attraction to her suddenly made sense. She looked just like those statues back in Higurashi.

The size was off since she was just a tiny thing, but the proportions were the same. A little living princess statue, bound and collared just for him… The half-demon nearly groaned aloud with want.

Like he'd done to her sister and countless other slaves, he bent over and peered between her legs. She was already partly spread thanks to the rope, and so it was simply a matter of holding apart her pussy lips to glimpse her perfect cherry, ripe and ready to be fucked away, staring back at him with a little glisten. The sight of that slight bit of moisture, evidence that she had responded positively to his touch, had him wondering if he should treat himself. Relieving the burning lust he'd been suffering with would be the best thing right now, and she seemed much more eager than her sister. But he didn't really want the shop owners to see him fuck her. Straightening up, he considered it.

A small tremor ran down his spine and he met her eyes for the first time, that blazing blue making his mouth drop open in shock at the pure rage and hatred he saw there.

There was no time to process it before she kicked him right in the mouth.

Somehow, the bitch had slipped one foot free. Inuyasha tasted blood. His lip had been cut by his fang. In complete shock, he stared down at her. Hardly any enemies on the battlefield ever managed to draw his blood, but this stupid slave bitch did so with everything tied up but one short fucking leg!? And she was fucking angry! At him, of all people! Fury lit her big blue eyes up and he knew that if looks could kill his entire body would be an open wound.

"I think I found my headache," he muttered to Sango, not taking his eyes off the slave. For a long while, they simply glared at each other, neither one willing to look away and lose the impromptu contest. The bitch didn't even flinch when he bared his bloody fangs at her.

"I-I'm sorry, my lord. I'll take her away now and punish her however brutally you want. You can watch if you want, of course, m-my lord," Yura stuttered.

"Name?" he growled.

"Kagome." Yura's voice was shaky. She probably thought she was about to witness an execution.

"What was she before you found her?"

"A maid. She said she served the queen."

His ears perked up despite himself, showing his interest. If anyone would know where that cunt of a queen had run off to, it would be one of her personal servants. Wiping the blood on his sleeve, he narrowed his eyes at the girl, telling her without words that this was far from over. Turning, he faced the frozen slavers.

"I'll take her, too."

Yura's fear evaporated. "She's not for sale. She's mine!"

"I can either pay you and take her home with me or I can shut your business down and take her home with me. It's up to you."

The hair demoness grit her teeth. "One hundred fifty. One hundred in silver, fifty in gold."

He was about to protest, then figured it didn't matter. Shops like this would be extinct soon enough, so he might as well give her something to live off of. Sango wrote the note with a shaking hand. It was probably inconsiderate of him to buy a slave for more money than her entire family could earn in a lifetime, but he couldn't just leave the bitch with Yura. He didn't want used merchandise. Once the note was handed to Sara, he grinned down at the girl. She was still struggling to get free, her liberated foot since double bound.

"Sango, hit her. Open palm, on the face."

It looked like the shadow had been eagerly awaiting such a command. She slapped the slave with enthusiasm, hitting her so hard that her head flew back and hit the wooden arm of the chaise lounge. A sharp cry sounded from behind the gag. The blow was enough to shock her into stopping her struggles. Her big eyes looked up at them, confused and betrayed, like she'd never been hit before today. He almost felt bad, but then remembered she had kicked him first without even a reason. Stupid bitch would learn. Still, the look on her face reminded him of a child's innocence. Inuyasha hated kids, but he figured they should go a bit slower for now.

"More gently next time, Sango." He didn't doubt there would be a next time. "I bought her in order to punish her for that kick, so don't go all in yet." Grinning down at the bitch, he continued, "She's mine now. We have all the time in the world."

"Even when she disrespects you like that?" his shadow asked, voice hard.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. He had stopped bleeding in the minute after it had started. "Let's not get carried away. These Higurashi barbarians don't understand the ways of the real world. Maybe that's just a regular greeting where they're from." Laughing internally at the renewed outrage in the girl's face, he leaned over close and whispered so that only she could hear, "I'm going to keep you separate from your sister. Don't want your bitchy attitude rubbing off on her." The muffled cry of agony made him grin. "Take the other one to the carriage. I'll deal with this bitch."

The bitch screamed for her sister, the noise muffled by the gag, but the meaning still clear. Still, she didn't look back, not once. There was no indication she had even heard. It looked like the girl had annoyed the fuck outta her, too. Instead, she just sat still as Sango freed her from the inspection chair and passively allowed herself to be led to outside the building. Inuyasha wasn't worried about leaving the two of them alone. For one, the woman didn't appear to be a flight risk, and she didn't look to be in the best of health, either. Her ribs protruded a bit too much and her skin had a pallor to it. The girl looked much better in comparison. Still, he wished they had been twins or something. He would have preferred someone taller and not so damn tiny and frail-looking. The one slap looked like it had been enough to give her a concussion. What a little princess.

"Do you want her shaved?" Yura asked bitterly.

He shook his head. "Nah. She's got the perfect amount of bush." It was just a tiny dark puff above the split of her pussy lips. He found he liked it even more than when women shaved themselves bare.

The girl was crying now. Inuyasha guessed she was the type where anger turned to tears. It made him uncomfortable, so he turned to face the shopkeepers.

"Do you want us to wrap her up for you?" Sara asked sarcastically, telling him to leave without saying the words outright.

"Actually, yeah. Give me some real ropes and tie her up. A gag, too. I know this one's trouble and I don't want another incident."

Stomping away behind the counter, Sara tossed him some leather bonds wrapped in silk and a simple gag. Sighing heavily, he restrained the girl himself. To his surprise, she let him, her body shaking with sobs as he turned her over and tied her up. When he was done, he tossed her over his shoulder, feeling her warm bare skin on his neck and jaw.

"Bye, Kagome!" Yura called, seeming on the verge of tears herself. "I'll miss you! See you in my dreams tonight."

Inuyasha left the store, his hand on her bottom not entirely to keep her steady.

"You should be grateful," he grumbled, opening the door of the carriage and shoving her inside. "Normally, I'd toss baggage like you on top, but you'd just roll off and die and that would be a waste of money."

Good, that got her to stop crying. Now she was glaring at him, squirming again, saying things he was sure he'd have to make Sango slap her again for later. As the carriage left the ground, she went completely still, eyes widening comically. She reeked more of fear now than she had back when she was being sold. Curling in on herself, she looked at her sister, but what she saw only seemed to make her more anxious. Grabbing her ankles, Inuyasha decided to distract the both of them, and so dragged her face down onto his lap.

"You know," he drawled, squeezing her almost perfectly round ass, "you really aren't even close to my type. Not at all." He gave her a gentle slap and she screeched. This one really had no tolerance for pain. "But your sister is. I always found it difficult to deny a beautiful woman when she asks me something, especially if she's naked."

The girl screamed curses at him through the gag and he was glad the full power of her lungs wasn't unleashed.

He spanked her harder in the same spot, then gave her a matching slap on the other cheek. Not pausing in between, he soon began a steady rain of blows on her ass. She kicked against the door, but it was sealed shut and no weak attempts on her part could open it. Finally sensing the pointlessness of her flailing, she began whimpering and squirming again, rubbing up against his clothed cock. Fuck, his reaction was surprising. Had it really been so long that just reddening a girl's flesh was going to make him cum in his pants?

"I've got plans for you," he said hoarsely. "You're going right to the dungeon." She quivered in fear and he grabbed her ass hard, watching the pink turn white and then pink again when he let go. "And I'm gonna take every single one of your holes. I'll fuck you over and over and over…" He felt himself begin to salivate and tried to calm down. "And then, as a reward for your little stunt back at the shop, I'm gonna give you away. Hand you off to one of the worst courtiers in the palace, someone old and ugly and foul. I'll make you addicted to me and then I'll send you away." He was almost out of breath; his cock was rock hard. The sound of her crying brought him back to reality and away from his fantasies. "Unless you keep yourself on my good side."

The girl's ass was bright red now. Inuyasha winced. He'd been a little too enthusiastic. This was why he usually had Sango do this stuff. Why hadn't she stopped him? Even if he did tell her to never undermine his authority, if he was actually hurting someone, she should stop him. He glared at her. She was watching him with an odd look on her face, like they were strangers. Fuck, had he been that brutal? In silent apology, he began to rub the girl's ass, absently noticing that hers was quite nice, even if she wasn't a "pear-shaped body builder". There were a few stray scratches where his claws had broken the skin. Dammit, this was why he only took strong women. The weak ones couldn't handle his needs. She wouldn't be able to sit for a week.

He sighed. At least they were almost at the palace.

Inuyasha's nose twitched. Was that—? His hand stopped rubbing her ass and drifted lower. She squeaked as his fingers stroked her slit and started struggling like mad again. He laughed aloud at the wetness he felt. Bringing his hand to his face, he gave his dripping fingers a strong sniff. _Fuck_ , it really must have been a long time. She smelled divine. His tongue licked her essence off his fingers of its own accord and he tried to hide the shudder that ran through him. Ambrosial. What the fuck was up with this contradiction of a slave girl? Lost in lust, he looked down at her. Her neck was twisted at what seemed like an uncomfortable angle just so she could give him a look that told him she was absolutely appalled by and disgusted with his behavior. It was so out of place and prissy that he moaned for emphasis, trying not to laugh.

"You're gonna have a lot more than fingers inside you. Soon enough, you'll be tasting me the same way."

That turned the cheeks of her face red with rage and shame and perhaps, he hoped, frustration from not being fulfilled.

Out of curiosity, he looked at her sister, the only one he'd wanted in the first place. Wasn't it kind of rude to ignore her like he'd been doing? Instead of glaring at him like the girl in his lap, she just laid back, eyes closed. Just a glance would have shown her to be relaxed, but her jaw was clenched and her hands were clasped so tight her fingers were white. It relieved him, a little. He liked his women spirited.

The carriage stopped. Home.

Sango got out first, as she always did, leading the older slave in front of her. After she had ascertained that there were no assassins hiding in plain sight, she motioned for him to come forward. Figuring it was safe to untie the girl now, he undid the bonds, keeping the gag because her loudass bitch mouth was the last thing he wanted to deal with at the moment. The girl didn't move.

"Come on. Up." He gave her thigh a pat impatiently. "What, did all that wooing make you weak in the knees?"

Inuyasha wasn't expecting another foot to the face, but that was exactly what he got. This one was twice as hard, calculated and not spontaneous as it had been the first time. Releasing a sharp curse, his hands automatically flew to his sensitive nose, eyes watering in reaction. Gods damn it all, but that had hurt. With blurred vision, he saw the girl go running, wildly looking for an escape. Animal instincts kicked in when he saw where she was headed and he threw himself at her, tackling her. They fell to the ground together, him on top of her, pinning her small form down.

"You fucking idiot!" he shouted. The girl actually had the gall to look scared of him. "Take a look around you!"

At first, she just stubbornly glared at him, defying even this small command, but then he grabbed her chin and forced her face to the side. She took in the misty white ground they were on, the lack of any surroundings but the massive palace they lay in the shadow of. The sounds of birds flapping their wings could be heard below them. Tears came to her eyes as she saw how close they were to the edge of the cloud they were on, mere inches, and how the earth below seemed so very far away.

"There's nowhere for you to run." His voice was hard and merciless. "Not unless you want to die."

A bit of uncertainty entered her eyes, but then she caught sight of her sister and it was gone as soon as it had come. Inuyasha released a breath he hadn't known he was holding and got off of her, extending a hand. It wasn't like he was a monster. He could be a gentleman, even to a slave. To his slight surprise, she accepted his hand, her palm weak and limp in his and so soft. He grumbled in displeasure and tugged her to her feet, wondering if he should keep carrying her. Instead, he stayed close to her as they followed Sango to the outside entrance to the dungeon.

It wasn't truly a dungeon, exactly. He just liked to call it that. Mostly, it was used to hold courtiers suspected of some crime or another while they awaited trial, and so the cells were outfitted rather comfortably. It hadn't been used in years other than to play games with his slaves.

The rooms were cold, though, being deep in the very high up cloud as they were, and fires were not permitted. Even with all the blankets he had in the rooms, the girls would be uncomfortable. And that was good, for now. Especially for the little bitch. His nose was healing but still sore, and reacting to the dull pain that remained, he put his hand on the back of her neck, forcefully pushing her along down the stairs. She jumped away from him in surprise and stumbled, nearly falling headlong down the stairs and taking out Sango and her sister, but he grabbed her just in time, swinging her over his shoulder like before, hand on her ass. Idly, he wished there was a mirror nearby so he could see the sight they made. They probably looked like a couple of Higurashi barbarians with him getting ready to toss her in his cave and ravish her.

When they came to one of the nicer cells, he nodded to the guard on duty and the demon jumped to obey, knowing exactly which key out of the many on the ring was needed for that particular cell. The solid wooden door was engraved on the inside, and furs covered the rock floor. A good-sized bed was heaped with plush blankets and pillows. But for the lack of windows, it could have been a regular room. Some old novels were on the bedside table.

"I'll leave you here for now, Kikyo," he said, barely remembering her name in time.

She didn't respond, standing in the middle of the room where Sango had put her, looking like nothing more than a big, forgotten doll. The creak of the door didn't even make her stir, and that was how he left her. The door was locked securely, the shield preventing any sort of power from being used activated automatically.

Unexpectedly, the slave using his shoulder as a mode of transportation started hitting him, her fists pounding his back, knees going for his stomach. Sick of her shit, he shrugged her off, keeping a hold of her hair. With a sharp tug, he dragged her along, and she stumbled to keep up with his pace. Inuyasha walked all the way to the end of the hall, the furthest away she could get from her sister while still remaining in the dungeon. It was also the shittiest part of the dungeon, reserved for those who had royally pissed off the emperor. Well, she'd royally pissed off the emperor's son, and she was going to be paid back for it.

The guard ran to keep up with him, getting the key to the room he'd stopped in front of, a tiny rusted thing distinct from all the other polished, newer ones. It took a couple powerful attempts, but soon the key turned in the lock. The door opened to reveal a shabby room that would have been embarrassing to show to anyone else. A thin, dusty rug took up most of the room, even though it was about the size of a towel. There was no proper bed, instead just a cot with a single blanket, pillow nowhere to be seen. There was a thin, single slit at the top of the room to let air in, air which would be bitterly cold. Chain-link metal was worked over so not even a finger or folded slip of paper could be pushed through. The door was the only new thing about the room, and it had been replaced and refortified, making it the most secure room in the dungeon. There was the option to slide bars over the outside, making escape that much more impossible. The girl wouldn't even have a book to entertain herself with, though he doubted someone like her could read. Maybe she could've entertained herself with pretending, or the pictures, though.

"I'll come back and see you when I've calmed down, but know that I hold grudges." Inuyasha grinned. "You can take your gag off any time, by the way."

The door closed on her scream of rage.

Kagome sat in the darkening room, face damp and aflame. Why hadn't she thought to take her gag off before!? She could hear the echo of that damn dog's laugh as he walked down the hall. Not only did she fail to escape every time an opportunity had presented itself, she'd also made herself look like a complete and total idiot. Trying to console herself, she thought that it might work in her favor. If she seemed like a moron, they'd take fewer measures to guard her, and another opportunity wouldn't be too far off.

That hope fed her for five days.

Five days without human (or demon) contact. There was a small slot towards the bottom of her cell door that the guards would unlock and use to slip in a plate of food and a bowl of water, which they did twice a day. To her shock and alarm, it was better than the food in Higurashi. And they served prisoners like her delicacies? Truly, the demons were wealthier than she'd ever comprehended. Though that wasn't hard when it was all ill-gotten through making war on innocent people like they'd done to her homeland.

But the good food could only distract her while she was eating it. And soon, she came to dread it.

The bucket in the corner that she used to relieve herself was alarmingly full, the stench permeating the room. Never had she thought she'd ever have to experience something so undignified. In the past, there was always a maid to carry her chamber pot away as soon as she had done her business. And she was so bored and cold that by the second day she'd taken to sleeping constantly, waking only when absolutely necessary. She dreamt about the demon who had bought her returning. Sometimes she begged him to take her out, swearing obedience. Other times, she threw the bucket in his face and ran.

Kagome began to fear she was going to die in that room.

Every time she sat down, the pain she felt reminded her of that demon. She almost began to wish he would come back. Every small sound she heard sounded like his steps, and her heart would beat faster. In her dreams was the only time she would allow herself to remember how he had touched her. Kagome didn't think those places were able to be touched, and she was ashamed to realize she wanted more of it. Just remembering made her feel sick inside and very scared, but there was also something else there, something else she didn't know how to identify.

But she knew that only he could make it clear to her.

 **Note: So like do you guys watch Inuyasha Abridged? It's like so shitty but I appreciate the fact that it exists so much.**

 **Sorry for the wait! I'm so busy with summer school and I'm out on a dig right now working all dang day. When I get home, I'm too tired to eat, let alone write. But I'm always writing here and there, even just a sentence or two sometimes. I do realize that my writing reflects how busy and exhausted I am right now, so I just wanna apologize and tell you it won't be that way for too much longer. I intended to put a lot more in this chapter but I wanted to get it out sooner. There will probably be more Miroku and some SessRin time next chapter.**

 **Are these chapters too long? Too short? Just right? Be my Goldilocks, please.**

 **Also, check out MagicalRum's story, which is an awesome Inuyasha role reversal. I'm betaing purely for the sneak peeks, haha. I think she's got a good story going and I'm so excited to see where she'll take us. Please review so she doesn't get discouraged! Reviews keep us writers going. I don't know if you guys know how much they mean. Literally, they can make my entire week, and turn a totally shitty day into a smiley face day. That's how great you guys can be. That's the power you have.**


	6. Roses Are Planted Where Thorns Grow

**Six: Roses Are Planted Where Thorns Grow**

Once again, he was watching her from afar, lust raging through him. Claws, sharp and tinged with poison, pierced his skin when his hands reflexively clenched into fists the longer he stared at her bare neck. Even so, it did him no harm and never would. He was strong. The strongest. But that child made him into something he despised. It wasn't her fault, though. Nothing was. Should he take her, he would dishonor himself, his father, his ancestors, and his country. But taking her would be the sweetest thing on this earth, he knew. As sweet as her laugh, her voice, her smell.

The thought of taking her as a lesser wife made his gut clench in a beautiful kind of agony. Multiple wives would only be permitted once he ascended to his rightful place as emperor, but who knew how long that would take? In just a brief few decades, she would be dead, and his father would probably still sit on the throne. Would he disrespect her and himself by taking her as his mistress? It would just be embarrassing. The court would jeer at him in loud whispers, unflattering songs would be written about it and performed where he could hear them, and the negative public opinion would perhaps even cost him his birthright.

For what was he to her in the eyes of the world? A father. A doting master. Never a lover. It would be revolting.

Sesshomaru continued to watch Rin from his office window. The girl was picking flowers in his private garden. Anyone else who dared do such a thing would be executed. Everyone thought he just enjoyed the view, enjoyed cultivating the colorful bursts of light until they were perfect. But in reality, it was all for her. All for Rin. His little pet who loved flowers so much that he'd made her a garden in the clouds, a heaven for his angel.

Rin had never really developed much beyond a childish, waifish figure. Perhaps it was the severe malnourishment she had experienced before their paths met and became one. Even so, she was beautiful to him, her brown hair shining with sparkling strands of red in the bright sunlight. The song she sang was some off-key rendition of a children's song that she felt secure in voicing, thinking herself completely alone and unobserved. Her tiny hands worked diligently at braiding a delicate flower crown, the only kind of crown that could ever rest on her head.

His hands tightened into fists. Sometimes he wished he had never met her.

Of course, like with every bit of conflict in his life, it was all Inuyasha's fault.

Ten years ago, when the brat had just turned eighteen, their father displayed a rare lapse in judgement by allowing him to join the Inu army and fight in Sesshomaru's regiment. The boy was flashily showing off the sword that should have been Sesshomaru's to everyone he had occasion to speak with for more than a second.

"If you aren't more careful, half-breed, someone far more deserving of your heirloom will take it from you," Sesshomaru warned after about two weeks of just barely preventing himself from committing fratricide.

Inuyasha stopped stuffing his face with the disgusting military rations long enough to answer. "Keh! Father said I'm the only one in the world strong enough to control Tetsusaiga. Not even your jealous ass can handle it."

The group of soldiers that had taken to following Inuyasha around poorly covered up their snickers.

Feigning indifference, he sipped his now cold tea. "I see you still believe in fairy tales. Figures Father would still be telling them to you, child that you are."

His small comment made the half-demon's face turn red. Jumping to his feet, he retorted, "I'd rather be a child than shackled to some bitch I hate for the rest of my life. You're worse than a child, you're a coward."

The mention of his marriage almost made him chip a fang in rage when his jaw clenched automatically, trying to bring himself under control. Usually, it worked. Until the idiot opened his mouth again.

Realizing he had an audience, Inuyasha began to perform. "Keh, not only are you a coward, but you're a cuckold." A grin overtook his face. "Your wife's had more dick in her than there are men in this regiment, but her favorite one is right here." The half-breed thrust his hips to the accompanying soundtrack of hoots and hollers.

It wasn't for Kagura that he hit his brother in the face with a closed fist. He assumed she was a perfectly fine woman, but she held no interest for him. Marriage was a necessity, and was about as painful as learning to transform into his true form, but like his transformation it made him more powerful, albeit in a different way. Her father had recently gone from a lowly ambassador to some backwater kingdom to a very powerful man within the court, the kind of power that made people dangerous. By marrying Kagura, the eldest daughter and heiress, he secured their wealth and connections for the Inu empire forever. Just because his father requested it and he was visibly reluctant from the start did not mean he hated the woman. But to see that half-breed's idiotic gaping smile and to hear his jeering attempts at emasculating him made him snap.

Before Sesshomaru could hit him again, Inuyasha dodged. Always vulgar, he spat a mouthful of blood at the ground.

"We're taking it outside, asshole. 'Bout time we settled this."

The full demon heard the words but they did not register. All he could think was that this thing, this _abomination_ , had stolen from him. He'd stolen his father, his sword, his men's respect, his wife. True, he didn't want or care for most of those things, but to have them taken by something that civilized people would have stamped out before birth was an insult that could no longer be borne. The thief had to be punished. There was no one to save the mutt from the consequences of his actions this time.

Flying at him, propelled by the force of his bitter hatred, he followed the half-breed through the open tent flaps, part of it collapsing and falling on the men who didn't make it out on time. He didn't notice. The only thing he saw was the gaping grin of the idiot in front of him. Some sort of sauce was smeared around his mouth and a strand of saliva connected a top fang to the bottom one. The rotten fruit of the union that should never have been.

Disgusting.

The fact that they shared blood was disgusting.

He'd have to spill it, then. He'd have to bleed the brat of their father's royal, exalted blood, leaving only the foul human half.

Barely aware of it, he transformed. The scent of fear from the crowd filled his nostrils and had him slavering, eager and ready to use his powerful jaw to tear the one he despised to shreds. Monstrous green-tinged drops of saliva fell to the ground, the acid within burning the grass and ensuring nothing could grow there for at least a decade, if not more.

Lunging forward, maw open wide, wicked fangs exposed, Sesshomaru gave himself over to the madness of his hatred and rejoiced. As soon as the half-breed was out of the way, everything would be secure. The empire, his position, his status, his familial honor. Washing out a stain. It was like washing out a stain.

The pain that ripped through him was all the worse because he had not been expecting it.

Inuyasha grinned at him and lazily sheathed his sword again, finally wiping the sauce from his face.

"Tetsusaiga can kill a hundred demons, dumbass. Looks like you're not even worth half of one."

Applause and cheers rang in his ears, deafening him. The men were celebrating. His one consolation as he watched them raise Inuyasha on their shoulders was that they had given him a wide berth on their way to chum it up with the empire's favorite prince. Though he didn't have the fraternity they shared with Inuyasha, he had their fear, and fear could command respect, even after…

Running on will power alone, he forced himself to become energy, flying as far as he could from the scene of his greatest humiliation. Though he didn't want to, he abruptly changed back into his natural form, falling to the ground a small distance away from where the camp was into a small wood. On the way down, he hit several branches, one tearing through his flesh and impaling his right calf. With all the pain that had been dealt to him already, it was like nothing.

Sesshomaru didn't know how long he lay where he did. He stayed there on the forest floor without moving a muscle for so long the insects began to bite at him, tearing away more pieces of his body.

He was lost in his mind.

If there were gods, why had they permitted such a thing to befall him? They had chosen him as the heir to the greatest empire history had ever seen, given him the heritage of the two strongest demons in the world. He was the best of the best. The elite among elites. In mind and body, he excelled and put those who would under normal circumstances be called his peers to shame. Yet here he was.

Nothing was going the way it was meant to.

As the demon lay face down in the cool dirt, he found it somewhat soothing, and his mind began to drift.

Who did he hate more? Izayoi or her mongrel offspring? It was hard to say since it changed depending on who he had to deal with more. At the palace, it was usually her. Out here, it was Inuyasha. While his half-brother had only stolen his father, Izayoi had stolen both his parents. If not for her, he would at least have his mother on his side, but as it was she doted on the human queen to an embarrassing degree. Like a damned servant. Never could he remember his mother looking at him with gentle tenderness the way she always looked at that human whore. That care extended even to the half-breed himself, and InuKimi treated him more like a son than she did her own flesh and blood. The mongrel got everything because he was the child of Izayoi, and what was left for Sesshomaru? A cold room in a forgotten part of the palace, visited only by his tutor and maids, speaking with his parents almost exclusively through dictated notes even though they dwelled in the same building.

He still remembered the first time he had truly grasped the extent of their indifference towards him. He had been just a child, still an innocent. Inuyasha was not yet weaned. It was Sesshomaru's birthday, and a great feast had been prepared to honor the crown prince. All his personal servants had made themselves scarce, too busy with preparations for the celebration that evening, and so for once he roamed about the palace unsupervised, his bright eyes taking in all that would be his one day. Peals of laughter interrupted his peaceful stroll and he darted to where the noise came from, peeved that the illusion of serenity had been shattered.

On the portion of the grounds where magically sustained gardens gave way to magically sustained woods sat his father on a plush cushion. In his arms was a wriggling red ball. It took him a moment before he recognized the ball as his father's second son in the traditional robe of the fire rat. After all, he had only seen the boy from a distance at his naming ceremony. It was his instinct to go to his father, something that only became stronger when he saw his mother standing near him. Maybe they would tell him what gifts they'd gotten him this year, or at least give him a hint. But something stopped him when he saw the way the emperor cradled his youngest son, that softness on his face, that look of contentment. Whenever his father looked at him, he was a blank slate. He gave orders and Sesshomaru obeyed. He lectured and Sesshomaru listened.

One of the courtiers rolled a ball toward the emperor, smile on his face. Slowly, it came to a stop at his knees. Holding the wriggling red half-demon ball under the arms, Toga lowered him almost to the ground. Face lit up, the baby was obviously familiar with this game. Inuyasha gave the ball a kick which managed to quickly go beyond the circle of courtiers and inside a room of the palace even though he was still so small. Toga laughed heartily and bounced his son up and down, nodding at someone to fetch the toy.

"This one's a natural warrior, isn't he Izayoi?" he said, voice glowing with happiness. "There was no play in that kick. He wanted to win."

Izayoi kissed Toga's cheek and then Inuyasha's. "Don't go projecting all that on him, dear. Inuyasha's still just a baby."

Sesshomaru wasn't so sure. The baby's face was screwed up, legs still kicking, eyes traveling the area in search for something else to beat.

"He's Inu, darling. We're different." Toga's expression turned thoughtful. "Is it too early to begin training him? Obviously he can't hold a sword yet, but I could take him to my practice sessions."

Izayoi snatched her son back. "And have one of your weapons go flying out of your hand and split him in two!? I think not!"

"Are you saying I can't protect my own son?"

Putting an arm around Izayoi, InuKimi stepped in. "He's still in diapers, Toga. And he's half-human. It would be best to wait a few years. Even Sesshomaru's only got the basics down."

Toga nodded in understanding and pulled Izayoi over by the hand, sitting her in his lap, arms encircling her and their son.

"When did Sesshomaru start training?" Izayoi asked, rocking an increasingly fussy Inuyasha. "You can start training Inuyasha at that age."

"Uh… Well…"

InuKimi's face turned sour. "You don't remember, do you?"

"Do you!?" he shot back.

"Um…"

"Really?" Izayoi asked in exasperation. "And on his birthday, too."

"It's his birthday?" the rulers of the empire said in unison.

"I thought it was next month!" InuKimi groaned. "It's a good thing his tutor gives the servants lists of things he thinks the boy likes or he would have gone without a gift from me."

"What horrible timing," Toga muttered, rising to his feet and bringing his mate and child with him. "I wanted to take the two of you sailing today."

"Ba!" Inuyasha squealed at the abrupt movement.

The three of them went still.

"His first word!" Izayoi squealed.

"Oh, he was trying to talk to Toga and call him 'papa'. How precious!"

"My boy's a fighter and a talker too, now." Toga beamed with pride and kissed Izayoi on the lips.

Hidden in the shadows, Sesshomaru was glad he was downwind of the traitors. No one but him could smell his few tears.

At the celebration that night, his mother left early due to a "headache". His father gave him a pat on the head and told him to try harder with his studies. Izayoi gave him a wooden sword, which he promptly broke when back in the safety of his room.

Tired of the memories, Sesshomaru attempted to turn over onto his back only to realize he was missing a rather significant object: his left arm.

Snarling, he clawed at the dirt, pounding the ground with his remaining fist, letting out a pained roar that shook the branches of the trees surrounding him.

A small gasp from the nearby bushes startled him, then had him cursing his weakened state. How could he not have heard someone approach? They were just feet away from him now. What if someone thought to gain favor with Inuyasha by finishing the job?

Unbeknownst to him, his eyes were red and his claws were lengthened. His body was trying to transform but didn't have the energy.

What looked like a tail popped out from the bushes. A second later, a small human girl child followed, most of her hair tied on one side of her head. Filthy and scrawny, it was readily apparent that she was one of the humans displaced by the Inu empire's many wars. A feral orphan girl. In her small hands was a broad leaf with two lizards on it, heads missing, clumsily lopped off with a sharpened rock or something of the sort. Dumbfounded, he stared at her. What was her purpose in bringing this to him? Why hadn't she run at the sight of him?

The girl lifted the leaf to her mouth and offered it to him once again.

She wanted him to eat _that_?

"Leave," he said shortly. All he wanted was to be alone and die as he had lived, forgotten.

Ignoring him, she began stabbing the lizards into smaller pieces with a sharp stick. Briefly, he wondered if she was deaf, but then remembered her gasp at his pained roar. Blood from the lizard squirted onto his sleeve and he felt his anger rush back again.

"Stop that. If I get hungry, I'll do to you what you're doing to that thing."

Instead of running away in tears, the girl looked up at him, stared in his eyes, and smiled the biggest, most genuinely happy smile he had ever seen. She'd thought he was telling a joke.

He let her stay.

The girl kept silent. At first, he thought she was merely naturally quiet, like him, but her eyes seemed to express so much, including her longing to give him words. Perhaps she was traumatized by whatever she had seen in the war, or maybe a chemical attack had damaged her vocal cords. He didn't know. All he knew was that for whatever reason, all the pain he was experiencing melted away to nothing when she smiled and snuggled beside him.

So he let her stay, and he let her bring him food. He was used to servants, after all. It was proof that he was an elite demon that even when he had been struck down a lesser being had felt themselves summoned to devote their life to him. Since Jaken was off doing a terrible job of searching for him, this child would have to do. Every day, she brought him some sort of trash as food. Roots, acorns, frogs, more lizards. Sometimes birds. She'd even made a poultice for his wounds, though it didn't do much. His debt was growing at an alarming rate, but so was his health.

It was on a day like any other that Jaken finally found him.

The girl was gone doing whatever it was she did when she left. "Hunting", probably. Sesshomaru was almost entirely well again, even if something was blocking his arm from growing back. Tetsusaiga was truly formidable indeed, stopping regeneration in a demon of his caliber. Death had been much closer than he'd realized.

"Lord Sesshomaru! Crown Prince Sesshomaru!"

Panic he did not care to analyze flashed through him and he almost moved to hide. Instead, he stood. Facing his destiny was the only way for him to continue to live. Would the half-breed be capable of running the Inu Empire? He almost laughed.

Jaken ran right into his master's calves, too frantic to notice what he'd been searching for was right in front of him.

"Jaken. Show this one to the dragons. Ride on top, for I do not wish to be disturbed."

The teary-eyed little demon looked up at him in worshipful awe. "Y-yes, my lord! Right away, my lord!"

Smoothly walking the path Jaken had blazed, Sesshomaru kept his face expressionless even though every step was agony. It had been almost two weeks since he had first come to the forest and still he was in pain. All the more reason to go back to the camp after he went back to the palace and gave a report.

A corpse was strewn across the path that led back to his duties. The significance was not lost on him.

There in the brush, right out in the open on the edge of the forest where anyone could see, laid the girl. His loyal servant who had fed him even when she was starving. Her head had been caved in with a blunt object. Blood and brain and white skull could be seen between tendrils of dark, matted hair. Was it the work of vengeful refugees? Or perhaps even enemy troops he had failed to stop? The Inu did not kill children, so he at least knew it wasn't his own people. Eyes still open, she looked at him. There was no fear or accusation. Just a terrible disappointment. Had she tried to call out for him, forgetting she wasn't capable of it?

Stains on her dress indicated they had done worse than murder her.

Though it was the first time he'd felt pity in his life, Sesshomaru still almost stepped around her and walked on. In a way, he thought, this was a kinder fate than continuing to eke out an existence abandoned and alone. Closing his eyes, he attempted to move, but instead of darkness he saw her smile.

The worthless sword he wore merely for decoration thrummed against his thigh, whispering to him and urging him to act without words, mute like the girl.

His eyes were opened. Despicable little imps crowded around his servant girl, delighting in her wounds. A rage greater even than the one directed at Inuyasha filled him entirely, consuming him. Without even realizing it, he wielded the sword that could not cut and sent the evil creatures back to whatever place had birthed them.

"My lord! What are you—"

Sesshomaru picked up the girl. All at once, her wounds had been healed and she was breathing, comfortably cradled in his arm. Her eyes opened, making his heart pound in response, and he was deaf to the squawking and yelling of his other servant. The girl smiled up at him sleepily as though she had always known this was how they were supposed to be and the price she had to pay had been worth it.

"Rin is very happy," she murmured, and promptly fell asleep.

The carriage ride back to the palace was spent silencing Jaken with glares every time he tried to open his mouth. Rin, his newest servant, had just come back to life and was understandably in need of a nap. As long as he was around, no one would steal her slumber from her. Unwilling to part from her even when they landed back at the palace, not wanting her to be frightened when she awoke in a strange place, Sesshomaru carried her to his father's offices while Jaken took care of the dragons.

Striding in without knocking, he was met with the unpleasant visual of his father gagged and bent over his desk while Izayoi stood behind him, midway through bringing the flat side of a wooden sword down on his bottom.

"Sesshomaru. You're back." Izayoi seemed more than a little upset at having been interrupted. "And with a guest."

Toga removed his gag, face contorted in fury. "Why aren't you in the field!? You weren't summoned!"

Stunned, Sesshomaru could only stare. Finally regaining his tongue, he replied, "I thought you sent Jaken to find me and bring me back to the palace once you'd discovered I was missing."

"Missing?" Toga finally noticed his son's less than put together appearance and his precious cargo. "Where'd your arm go? I haven't heard about any recent battle."

All at once, he felt like laughing, but he held it in. Honestly, what had he expected?

"Your son," he spat, "did this to me."

Izayoi's eyes went wide and she held a hand to her mouth. "Oh goodness!"

"I vaguely remember receiving something about Inuyasha misbehaving, but I figured it was just another one of his scraps."

"I'll be going back to my regiment, then." His voice was as icy and dark as he felt inside.

"Hold on a minute. You can't serve in the military with a handicap like that." Toga eyed the place where his arm had been. "From now on, your place is in the palace. You can work from here, communicating with all the higher-ups out in the field. Think of it as a promotion." He grinned. "About time you got to work on making a family with Kagura. Naraku's been a very important ally and it would make him happy to have a grandchild. It's all he talks about."

"And Inuyasha?" For once, he begged the gods, just once let the brat be punished.

Toga waved a hand absentmindedly, eyes on his mate. "Don't worry about him. He can have your old job."

As Sesshomaru walked to the door as though hypnotized, he heard behind him, "And don't come again unless I summon you!"

The walk back to his rooms seemed longer than it actually was. Looking forward to the relief privacy would bring, he almost punched a hole through the stone wall when he saw his lady wife waiting for him. Clutching his pillow to her chest, black tears ran down her face to rest on her heavily painted lips. Gods, but now his private sleeping chamber would smell of her stench.

"S-Sesshomaru!" she cried, reaching her arms out to him. "Jaken told me everything. I wanted to look for you myself, but—"

"But you didn't."

She stopped in her tracks at the tone of his voice. Nervous, she cleared her throat, eyes darting around the room, avoiding his face.

"Is that a human child? What are you going to do with it?"

Dully, he stared down at the girl who was so comfortable in his embrace that she even slept through entire conversations.

"This is my servant."

Kagura's eyes turned concerned. "What happened to you? Where were you all this time?"

"Go back to your chambers. I do not wish to speak to you."

Reacting like he had just struck her, she burst into fresh tears and fled the room. Why did all women overreact like that? Did they prefer dishonesty?

As carefully as he could, he laid Rin down on his bed. That was the moment she chose to yawn and open her eyes. Contrary to his worries, she wasn't scared and she didn't scream or try to cling to him, frightened by her experience and new surroundings. Instead, she just looked at him patiently, contentedly. Sesshomaru took it as an opening.

"You proved yourself a worthy servant during my time in the forest." Something told him it was not appropriate to talk to a child like they were an adult, but he could not address her any other way. He hadn't interacted with children since Inuyasha was one, and then they were always fighting. This was not an area where he intuitively knew how to proceed. But she didn't appear to mind.

"How long will I be staying here?"

"Until I decide you're ready to leave."

Rin nodded. "Will we be together every day? Like before?"

Unable to stop himself, he smoothed her hair. "Yes."

On his way out, he flagged down a servant and ordered her to see to Rin's care, to treat her as though she were him, sparing no expense.

For the first time in his life, he was happy.

But time marched on and Rin grew. She went from an endearing child to an enchanting woman. Sesshomaru was aware of how his attention towards her grew from attentive to obsessive, but he was powerless to stop it. This was not some enemy he could slay. There were no apparent physical changes from one day to the next, but she had certainly reached maturity, as evidenced by the smell of her blood that drove him into a frenzy, so much so that it was impossible for him to be in her vicinity for days. Had Jaken not been with him on that first day, he surely would have defiled her, himself no better than those that had killed her in what she believed to be a long-forgotten dream.

It was madness. The small buds on her chest he had paid no attention to before haunted his every waking thought. He'd tried pleasuring himself, but the feel of his large clawed hand was too far from how his sweet Rin would feel that he could not reach completion. Seeking to rid himself of his unwanted desires, he even paid a visit to his wife's chambers, something he had mostly avoided since their honeymoon.

Her door was unlocked, a custom within the palace Sesshomaru had never once followed, unless it was the door that connected his rooms to Rin's. Since he couldn't hear evidence of her having any guests, he thought it perfectly permissible for him to just walk right in. They were married, after all. It was his right as her husband to take her body whenever and wherever he wished. When he got a whiff of the room, however, he began to have second thoughts. The earthy, flowery smell that barely covered up the scent of sex and unwashed bodies urged him to go back the way he had come and suffer for the rest of his life.

"Sesshomaru!"

Kagura tried to rouse herself from her prone position on the bed. A robe draped across her otherwise nude body, hardly covering the parts women by and large kept confined. With the state he was in, seeing the bare skin of her ribs had his cock jumping in his trousers.

"You should hab tol' me you were comin'," Kagura slurred. Her pupils were tiny black pinpricks in a sea of red and suddenly everything made sense.

Opium.

Nevertheless, he was a man on a mission, and he needed a willing and convenient body. Disliking whores as he did, Kagura was the only option, not that there was much difference. There were certainly other women at the court who would have been honored to receive his attention, but he absolutely hated being the subject of gossip, and him laying with a noblewoman would be the talk of the palace for months.

Too eager to be inside her warm wetness to exchange pleasantries, Sesshomaru turned his wife over. The wind witch's disheveled locks were about the length of Rin's, though wavy, and so he pretended his young servant had just undone her braids for him, knowing he liked her hair unbound. Without bothering to perform foreplay, since Rin had received ample foreplay already in his mind, he plunged his aching staff inside her.

"My lord," she gasped. "Oh, how long I've waited..."

Yes. _Yes_. Rin would say something like that. Her pink little lips would form the words, whimpering, tears spilling from the corners of her eyes. Tears of joy and pain at their union. She was so small, and he was so big. Gentle. He had to go gently, be careful with Rin. She was only human, after all, and still so young. It wasn't yet the time to reveal the fullness of his desires. That would have to wait.

"Fuck me! Ram that thick cock in my pussy." Kagura groaned with want, bringing him out of the moment. "Cum inside me, Sesshomaru. Fill my womb with your hot, sticky cum!" Reaching between her legs, she gently massaged his ball sack.

Gods damn it. Everything was ruined. Kagura had ripped apart his beautiful illusion.

Not knowing what he had expected, Sesshomaru pulled out his rapidly deflating cock from his wife. Had she not just ruined everything, he thought that there was a chance that they could have started over and become something close to a real husband and wife. But she was just too much the opposite of Rin. Bold, voluptuous, experienced.

Fixing his clothing, he looked at her with obvious disdain.

"Bathe. You reek of men and poppy."

Her mouth was agape in shock. "Are you leaving? After all that?"

Weren't his actions obvious? He was half out the door already. Why did women always ask such damned stupid questions?

Kagura's face crumpled and tears began to fall. Even so, she was laughing. "You bastard. You _bastard_. You bastard!"

With her last shriek, she sent blades of air his way. Preoccupied as he was with wondering how he would temporarily sate his lust, he did not dodge quickly enough and ended up with shallow cuts scattered across his body. Closing the door on his wife's embarrassing drug-fueled raving, he walked back to his garden to look at his most precious flower, his little Rin. A complete picture of tranquility, she sat with her legs crossed beneath her, heedless of his eyes on her bared thighs, braiding a dainty rope of flowers across her lap.

Without meaning to, he knelt beside her. Concentrating on a difficult knot, it took his ward a few seconds to look up at him. When she did, she let out a small cry of distress. Pressing a too-long sleeve to his cheekbone, she mopped up the rivulet of blood from an already healed wound. Allowing himself to relax, he breathed her scent in, concentrating on the sound of her voice and filtering out the words. Sesshomaru was glad she had not touched him with her bare skin. In his state, that would have made everything so much worse and he feared he would not have been able to control himself. Her virgin blood would stain the delicately fragrant work of her hands, and finally, finally he would at long last be satisfied.

It was his turn for concern. The more he studied her appearance, the more he lamented he had not dressed her appropriately for her age. She was a woman now. A short and thin style of garment appropriate for a child was what she wore. The seamstresses had been making the same thing for her for years. True, her clothes were fine, more than befitting someone of her dubious station, for he never once neglected her, but they were not age-appropriate and hadn't been for some time now. It was about time she graduated to more mature gowns. But he was not quite able to give up the sight of her bare legs and so delayed speaking with them.

Everything he would ever want was right there in front of him. Everything he would never have.

She hesitantly stroked the soft leather of his shoe, wanting his attention. "Your eyes are asking me something, my lord, but your lips do not move."

Sesshomaru cleared his throat. "Would you like new clothes?"

Surprised, she met his gaze. "Oh no, my lord! I already have too much."

"There is no such thing as 'too much' in the palace, Rin. Now tell me."

"Whatever pleases my lord."

He thought about what would please him most of all. A shudder ran down his spine.

"Sesshomaru!" His mother's voice prevented what would have been a regrettable and excruciatingly sweet experience.

InuKimi, a dozen maidservants trailing behind her, entered his garden looking like the empress she was. Rings glittered on every hand, a bejeweled choker wrapped around her throat, heavy earrings hung from both pointed ears and went down almost to her shoulders. Competing with what must have been an extraordinary weight of jewelry was her ostentatious dress. Heavy skirts of every shade and kind of fabric were layered over on another, stopping just above the ground, perfect to show her golden slippers. In contrast, her bodice was so sheer it served less as clothing and more as a window through which to view her breasts. She stepped past Rin, ignoring her like she was one of the many flowers. Just seeing the dog demoness made his lips twist in disgust.

"Mother," was all he said, making his voice as respectful as possible.

"I smelled your blood on my way to luncheon with Queen Izayoi and became quite disturbed. Did you and Inuyasha get into another spat?" Instead of concern, there was a sparkle of amusement in her eyes as she stared at the space where his left arm had been. As of yet, there were no signs of it ever regenerating.

Flicking a strand of hair over his shoulder, he noted with mild upset that there was blood on his clothes and many lacerations as well, enough to make them beyond repair. Just like him.

"I went to visit my lady wife, but it appears she is in a bad mood. An evening supper with a page boy or three should bring her spirits back up to her usual merely surly temperament."

To his surprise, Rin's face colored and she smelled of embarrassment. Was she old enough now to understand the meaning behind his words? At least she had been made into the kind of lady who shied away from talk like that. This new depth of maidenly modesty she was exhibiting made him grateful for the eyes that watched his every move.

Unwilling to trust himself in Rin's company any longer, he escorted his mother to lunch and beat a hasty retreat to his rooms. Opening the door that connected him to his servant girl, he went to her wardrobe and pulled out the bag of clothing that had yet to be washed. At the very bottom lay what he was searching for. Like the criminal he was, he absconded with his treasure back to his bed. This was necessary, he told himself. If he didn't do this, he would surely carry out a regrettable deed. In his clawed hand he cradled Rin's undergarments. And not just any of her undergarments. He'd taken the ones she'd reddened during her recent time of the month.

Pressing them to his face, he inhaled until his lungs were completely full of her and could expand no further. This proof of her womanhood had his cock aching. Lying on his stomach, he kept the cloth on his face. Her scent filled his nose and mouth and her small, nubile body filled his thoughts. His throbbing length was pinned between the weight of his body and his downy mattress. Her skin would be softer than these sheets, he was certain. Fisting the fabric, he bit down on the crotch of her underclothes. His pelvis hammered into the bed with a tempo he could not control. With each thrust, her name rang out in his mind.

Rin, Rin, Rin, sweet little Rin…

 _Rin_ putting flowers in her hair. _Rin_ singing in the meadow. _Rin_ dancing in the halls. _Rin_ licking cream off her dessert spoon. _Rin_ swallowing his cock whole.

His bed was a mess.

His mind was a mess.

His life was a mess.

Present-day Sesshomaru willed his erection away. All the practice he'd had so far made it almost easy. Savoring the sunlight in his pet's hair, he wished they could stay as they were for all of eternity. Perhaps that would be enough time for him to discover a way to have her and everything else as well. Unfortunately, they lived in the real world and not one of Rin's fairytales and he had to leave her to talk politics with his father and Naraku. Finally feeling his gaze on her, Rin looked up at him and beamed, giving him a charming, carefree wave that he barely acknowledged with a nod.

"Jaken!"

His servant rushed closer to his side.

"Yes, my lord?"

"Tell Rin I will see her at dinner."

 **O\o/O**

Once her husband was out of sight, Kagura made her presence known, striding out into the garden. A breeze made by her ruffled the ends of Rin's hair, tickling the girl's skin. It was her customary greeting. Immediately, the child's shoulders tensed and she looked up, eyes wide, heart beating quick and hard.

"Follow me. We need to discuss what we're to wear at the prince's courting dances."

"Must we?" Her voice was small and quavering. "It's still so very far away yet."

Jaken scowled and inserted himself into the conversation. "Obey your mistress, human! Lord Sesshomaru will be most displeased when he hears of your disrespect towards his lady wife."

Kagura put a hand on Rin's and helped her to her feet, not letting go even when on the familiar way to her chambers. When she closed and locked the door behind them, the girl turned pale.

"Undress me. Then yourself."

Meekly, always so meek, Rin did as commanded, eyes watering not just from the smokiness of the opium that pervaded the rooms. Lowering herself into the tub her maidservants had prepared before she'd left, Kagura sighed at the perfect temperature of the water and closed her eyes. She liked her baths just below boiling. It had cooled some, but still hit the spot. When she found herself drifting away into dreams, she forced one eye open. Rin still stood right by the tub, as naked as could be. One thin arm covered her tiny breasts while her other hand covered her mons. Her posture was stiff and there were goosebumps all over her skin. It made her nervous to be left waiting. Good.

"Get in the tub."

Jumping to obey, she made water splash outside and hit the wood floors. Glaring at the puddles, Kagura watched them spread to the expensive rugs that decorated the room. Fixing a smile on her face, she turned to Rin, the smile becoming more real when she saw how soon the girl's skin had turned pink and would soon turn red.

"Hold your breath until I cum."

Considering that a proper warning, Kagura grabbed Rin by the hair and dunked her under the water, keeping her under when she tried to struggle. She really should have been more prepared. It wasn't like this was the first time. The bitch was lucky she was already more than halfway there since her partner from before had proved capable only of turning her on and not getting her off. Pinching one of her long, hard nipples, she watched Rin struggle between foamy peaks of bubbles. Several times in the past this game had caused her to lose consciousness. Just thinking about it had Kagura closer. And Rin knew what she was doing by now, knew her mistress' body as well as her own. Not allowed to use her hands, Rin worked her tongue past the point of exhaustion, stabbing it inside Kagura's cunt, the tip of her button nose repeatedly bumping against her clit.

How long had it been since she'd first hit upon the reason why Sesshomaru wouldn't give her an heir?

Years.

Rin was the only daughter she would ever have. And so she hated her. Hated her for taking away the life she'd always wanted. Hated her because Sesshomaru loved her.

Loved her because Sesshomaru loved her.

Sesshomaru would never be able to have Rin. No, he cared about what people thought too much. Kagura had decided a long time ago that she didn't. The only one she ever cared about was Sesshomaru, and he had rejected her in painful, humiliating ways. And what he was to her, Rin was to him. To the demon who would one day be emperor, the once feral human girl was his heir and the queen of his heart all at once. She'd taken away all the space in Sesshomaru's heart that once could have been hers. If he had not gone on campaign so soon after they had been married, Kagura just _knew_ he would have come to love her eventually…

Tears rolled down her cheeks as her orgasm washed over her.

Rin burst through the water gasping for breath. Cradling the girl to her, Kagura soothed her as she cried, kissing her brow. Rin was the only daughter she'd ever have, and times like these were the only ones when she could be a mother.

"Thank you. You're a good girl, Rin. Such a good girl."

 **O\o/O**

Still covered in sweat from practice, Inuyasha pounded into Sango from behind in his personal weapons storeroom. Tetsusaiga watched from above in its place of honor on the wall. His shadow's performance was more than a little lackluster, but he didn't blame her. For the past three days, ever since he'd brought the slaves back, he hadn't gone easy on her in neither training nor sex. The excitement of pretty new pets combined with the dread of being forced to take a bride had him barely ever sleeping. He'd replaced times of rest with more training and fucking. How much longer would his time be his to do with as he pleased? Shaking his head, he tried to focus on the task at hand. Really, by fucking Sango as much as he was the past few days, he was doing his new slaves a service. It had been months since he was able to sate himself, and if he had loosed his passions on them immediately, they could have ended up injured by his eagerness.

The smell of Sango's blood reached his nose and he wanted to stop but didn't. Couldn't. His hips kept moving as he chased his orgasm, thinking of the things he'd have his new slaves doing before long. He'd drive into the little one's pussy while her sister straddled her face, and then they'd switch, their lowly Higurashi bodies finally put to good use. Focusing on the image of his dick plunging into the younger sister while she struggled beneath him and her older sibling, he was finally able to shoot his load.

Sango stayed on her knees a few seconds more after he pulled out from her and rolled onto his back. At first, she had loved the ferocious fucking he'd been giving her. Her heart was crying out for him at the mere thought that they were soon to separate forever, and his sudden wild passion seemed to be proof he was feeling the same way. But all he talked about were his slaves. Plans and opinions and schemes. Her prince was truly putting his all into this last pair of girls.

"Best two out of three?" Her voice was ragged.

He laughed. "I don't think you can handle me right now."

Sango scowled and began cleaning off. "I hope you know none of these sparring sessions these past few days have been fair considering how sore I am."

Yawning, he scratched his thigh. "You know I always win unless I let you."

"Sure, sure."

As always, they bathed separately, thoroughly scrubbing away all evidence of their union. Once they were presentable, the next thing on the agenda was paying a visit to his girls in the dungeon. But first, he wanted to go to the observation room.

The observation room was located within the dungeon itself. Orbs were present in the ceiling of every room in the dungeon, and they provided light in addition to their main function, which was to record and transmit everything inside the room to a remote location. Rarely did he ever have a person inside the observation room to monitor the screens, but now was one of those times. The demon inside was old and just months away from retirement. He had a human wife back home and four half-demon children. He was a good guy and knew when to intervene and when to simply watch. Since Inuyasha hadn't received any reports, he wasn't at all worried about his latest acquisitions.

"Prince Inuyasha!" The demon shot to his feet and saluted when the half-demon entered the room. "Is today the day?"

He nodded. "How have they been?"

"Neither of them are…normal."

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" He didn't know why he was feeling defensive of the sisters, but he was.

"Well, the older one just stares off into space. It's kind of creepy. I mean, just look at her."

Inuyasha did. Kikyo was staring at the door. Anticipation, fear, sorrow, anger, hatred; none of the usual emotions were present on her face. Nothing could be seen in her face. Her eyes were open, but as cold as a winter storm, blank as the snow.

"And the other one is a demon. Not like us, but an actual demon from hell." The old man's voice was earnest. "She destroyed the cot on the first day and used the wood from that to carve curses in the walls. _Wood_. On _stone_."

Curious now, he focused on Kagome's screen. Huddled in the very center of her room, surrounded by broken bits of the cot, she shivered and hugged her knees to her chest. Disappointment flashed through him. He had been hoping to spy on her in an intimate moment, to see her vulnerable sleeping face, or maybe even see her taking care of an important need and touching herself, thinking she had complete privacy, unaware of her voyeur master.

"She'll be punished for that," he assured the man, privately impressed. "I'll leave her in her mess for a couple more days." He chuckled. "Wonder how long the chamber pot'll last 'er."

Sango wrinkled her nose in disgust. Ugh, that was just cruel.

"Thank you for your work," Inuyasha continued, handing the man a small bag of coins. "I'll be taking the older slave upstairs. The younger one will join us in two days."

"Yes, your highness." The demon had already spilled the contents of the purse onto his palm, counting his newly acquired treasure.

Kikyo's cell was a stark contrast to her sister's. Though most of the food and drink was untouched, she kept the trays neatly stacked in a far corner of the room. To Inuyasha's approval, she had drained every mug of tea she'd been given.

"You know what's in the tea?" he asked, unsure of and not quite caring whether she'd answer him or not.

Kikyo eyed him warily and nodded once.

Inuyasha observed how prominent her ribs were and how the bumps of her spine showed. This particular piece of property was dirty and smelly and starving, but still he couldn't see anything but a desirable woman. Freeing himself from his trousers, he gave her a beckoning look.

"Suck it." His voice was husky; he couldn't help it when he thought of her mouth around him. "Sucking my cock earns you privileges. Like clothes and a proper room."

It seemed like she wasn't going to obey. She was looking nowhere near him, hands folded in her lap. But slowly, ever so slowly, she came towards him. Avoiding even glancing at his penis, she knelt down, eyes dull, and opened her mouth, giving him a lackluster blowjob. In fact, it was the worst he'd ever received. There was no suction, her tongue didn't move, she made no noise. It was what he'd imagine fucking a corpse's throat would feel like. Pushing away such eerie thoughts, he did his best to enjoy this first intimate encounter of theirs. Later, he would instruct her. After he'd popped her cherry. Hopefully she'd put up some resistance after this, though, or else it wouldn't be fun.

What would it be like to have her sister's—to have Kagome's—mouth around him?

The mere thought had his thrusts becoming irregular.

That girl, that bratty little bitch, would be glaring defiantly up at him the entire time. She'd quickly master every trick in the book just to have something with which to control him. Every encounter with her would be a battle even though he'd already won the war.

Holding Kikyo underneath her jaw, caressing her smooth skin, he thought of her sister's sharp tongue and what wicked things it would do to him soon.

The former Queen turned her gaze inward the moment her captor's intentions became clear. She no longer cared what happened to her. She was already dead and it was only her body that was living. The Inu could have her body. It didn't matter.

Her captor was wealthy, that much was obvious, and a noble. From what she had glimpsed of her location before her confinement, they were most likely at a palace. Perhaps they were at the main palace. The heart of enemy territory, the very center of command. At this point, she didn't even feel fear. There was nothing left inside her. She'd tried to summon concern for Kagome, but even that was muted at best. When her captor released his seed into her throat, she swallowed all she could, spitting the rest out when he withdrew from her mouth. It tasted like nothing.

"Guard!" Inuyasha was surprised he had been able to get off at all. Fuck, he would have had a better time masturbating. "Take the new slave to a clean room in the harem and give her over to the maids. Tell them to get her ready to be broken in by the end of the week." Hopefully her cunt was better than her mouth.

The guard bowed and took her away. She didn't resist.

Inuyasha sighed and fixed his clothing. Frustrated, he turned to his shadow.

"That bitch looked like she was perfect!" he complained. "But she had absolutely no technique. Even worse, no spirit."

Sango shrugged, forcing herself to sound undisturbed, forcing her jealousy to go way down deep inside where it usually hid.

"She is from Higurashi, my prince. You must keep that in mind. Their kingdom fell and her family's most likely been completely wiped out, apart from her sister. They ran away to find a better life only to fall prey to slavers and end up your whores."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "That's the past! They should be grateful and move on. This is the best possible life they could be living right now."

His shadow didn't know whether to laugh or cry at his response. It had been a long day. In the end, as she usually did, she decided the best thing to say was nothing at all.

 **O\o/O**

Two days passed by painfully slowly for Inuyasha.

Deciding an early hour would be more torturous than making her wait even longer, he bounded down to the dungeon as soon as his morning correspondence was finished. Sango was at his heels, holding back a yawn and already looking pissed off. He'd woken up hours earlier than usual after keeping her up hours later than usual and at this point she just wanted to get away on a vacation. Unfortunately, that was impossible with her job. But maybe she could go to the village and take part in training the new guards like her father suggested… Not even for a whole day, just a few hours.

Bypassing the observation room, Inuyasha schooled his face into a passive mask, not wanting to let on how excited he was to start training her hot and wicked little mouth. Then he'd move her to the harem and the real fun stuff would begin. Every single thing he'd ever done and wanted to do, he'd do to her and her luscious, though frigid, sister. As he opened the door to her cell, his mind was bombarded with images of the two of them bound and gagged, obedient and willing and eager. Then, when they were completely under his thumb, he'd get his revenge for the shit she pulled at the shop and for what their people had done to his army. First he'd—

The door came flying wide open and hit him in the face, right on the nose where the bitch had kicked him the second time. Inuyasha's watery vision could just barely make out the blur of pale skin and black hair that flew at him, clawing and biting.

"Stand down!" he yelled to his shadow. It was about time he had some fun without her butting in.

A quick hand to her throat stopped her attack and he laughed, pinning her to the stone floor, being as rough as he could be without giving her a concussion. Though she had been all fight before, her big eyes were frightened and pleading with him now. The girl reeked of fear, like she really thought he was going to kill her after all the money he'd spent just to bring her here. Growling down at her as viciously as he could, his perusal of her features was disguised as an intimidating stare. More than five days without bathing and she had yet to become completely disgusting. Some of the girls he brought back were a mess within a day or two. He fought the urge to give her hair a test sniff. Instead, he leaned close to her until they were eye to eye. She didn't try to look away or avoid him by shutting her eyes, a sign of the fun times to come.

"Did you really think you could possibly fight your way out of here?"

She suddenly tried to buck him off of her, obviously using all her pitiable strength. Her head was turned to the side, pearly whites exposed as she tried to bite at his wrist. Growing tired of the game, he grabbed her jaw hard with the hand that was not on her throat.

"Fucking stop that already," he said, his annoyance obvious. "You have absolutely no chance of fighting your way out of this cell, but you had the right idea when you thought your mouth could get you out of it." His cock twitched between them, seeking out the warmth of her soft skin. "All you gotta do is suck me until I cum, okay? That earns you privileges. You get a nice warm room, good food, and—"

And the bitch hocked one in his face.

Honestly, what had he expected from her after everything she'd done so far? Staring down at her in astonishment, he wiped her spit away when the thought flashed through his mind that his purchase was a dud and she could be mentally ill. Who in their right mind wouldn't listen to a simple request after five days of isolation, privation, and humiliation? She should have been begging for him!

"You dare ask for my favors after ignoring me for five days!?" she screeched.

He winced, remembering why he had kept her gagged before. "I don't recall asking—"

"You shut up when I'm talking!" Her face was screwed up in anger which quickly mixed with revulsion. "You disgusting dog. Would any woman be that desperate?"

His hands tightened on their own, one in her hair and one on her throat as he rose to his feet, bringing her with him. When Sango quietly hissed his name, it made him realize what he was doing and he took a deep breath, loosening his grip but keeping a hold on her.

"Believe it or not, some women do find me attractive," he said, striving to keep his voice light and sarcastic. "Especially in circumstances such as yours. Now do you want your own room or what?" Despite her atrocious personality, he couldn't stop his eyes from roving over her naked body, mapping out exactly how he was going to touch her when she finally stopped being a bitch.

Kagome just turned her head to the side, nose in the air.

Was she seriously giving him the cold shoulder? Rolling his eyes, he figured her little princess act had about played out. His cock was semi-hard from their play already and so he pulled it out, stroking it, showing it off. He knew the effect the sight of it had on women, especially untouched ones. They liked to pretend their thoughts were as pure as their bodies, but he knew better. He could smell their desire.

The slave shrieked and slapped his dick with the back of her hand like it was a mosquito come too close.

"Get that thing away from me, you rapist dog!"

Though there was a lot for him to take in, at first all he noticed was the true repugnance and abhorrence in her scent. There was hardly any fear. For the first time, a woman genuinely didn't want him. The stench filled the room like the accusation it was and he saw red. Grabbing her wrist, he forced her hand around him, his own over hers, making her touch him, stroke him. Her face drained of color the moment their skin came into contact and tears gathered in her eyes.

"You think you're too good for me? You think you're too good for a half-demon?" he spat. "An inbred idiot Higurashi peasant whore like you thinks she's too good for the _prince_ of Inu?"

"P-please," she whispered in agony. "Please stop! I don't— I don't want this!"

"No, you do. You do want it," he whispered in her ear, drawing her closer. She was in shock and didn't make a move to stop him. "This is what you were made for. This is the highest thing you can aspire to. This is better than you deserve." When she whimpered, his tongue couldn't help but to peek out and taste the drop of fear sweat at her temple. "For every countryman I lost in the war your people started, I will fuck you. I will fuck you until I ruin you."

"Stop it!" she sobbed, chest heaving with great big breaths. "Let me go let me go let me _go_ oh gods let me go!"

With great effort, he released her and stepped away.

"Restrain her. It's about time I activated her collar."

Sango held Kagome's arms, ignoring her mindless, panicked struggling. As he approached her, he felt a degree of disappointment. This was supposed to be one last hurrah, the greatest yet, before his life was no longer his own. It felt meant to be, the way he'd found those girls. She was the surprise, the cherry on top, the gift for all the toil and strain he'd experienced in that war that just dragged on and on and on. But she was ruining everything.

With just the tips of his claws held to the leather collar, he put all his feelings and frustrations into a single word imbued with his demonic power and said…

" _Bitch_."

Kagome fell to her knees hard and her mouth popped open.

To drive home the point that he was her master, he rubbed the tip of his cock on the tears that wet her face. She was so shocked that she didn't even notice at first.

"You call me a dog again," he murmured, pleased beyond saying at her forced submission, "and I'll say the word, and guess what you're going to do?"

The spell let up and she scrambled into a corner, big blue eyes finally seeming to comprehend that he held more than her life in his clawed hands. Inuyasha held her will. Not just her body was enslaved to him.

Approaching her, he ground the heel of his bare foot into her pussy, the calloused skin rubbing against her clit. Fuck, but he could smell how that excited her, how he aroused her even if she hated him. Though she didn't know it, she wanted him, and she wanted him to be rough. A hushed gasp of pleasure left her lips that no one heard but him and her.

"This is what I want." It was almost a struggle to keep his voice as dark as it had been before. "And I'm going to get it. You'll come to me on hands and knees and offer it."

Taking his foot away, he gave the room a quick glance. To his dismay, she was the exact opposite of her sister. All the food had been eaten and the water had been downed, but the tea was still in every mug. Not even a sip had been taken. Holding back a groan of exasperation, he glared at her.

"Drink the tea if you want to keep on living. Sango, tell the guards not to give her anything else to drink but the tea."

His shadow nodded and dutifully left the room to fetch the guards.

"But it's disgusting!" Kagome complained.

Inuyasha was surprised she could still whine. "Either drink it or grow heavy with my child."

A deeper fear entered her scent and mixed with hatred. "I'd sooner starve myself to death than birth your hideous dog child."

Weary now, he was glad when Sango returned with a guard, their presence stopping him from doing things he shouldn't.

"Well, then, _bitch_ ," he began, feeling a little cheered up at the horror in her face when she rose to her knees and opened her mouth as wide as she could, "you better start practicing just in case." Turning to the guard, he said, "Give her only one meal a day. She could stand to lose some weight."

Without a look back, he left.

Kagome stewed in anger. By the time the spell wore off, her knees were aching. Growling, unaware of where she'd picked it up, she threw a full mug of tea at the door. Gods, she wished she had been more vicious in her attack. If she were only trained like Kikyo, she knew she could have beaten him and made her escape.

Worried, she wondered how her sister was doing and where she was being held. No doubt she was putting up an even greater and more heroic resistance than she could imagine. Kagome vowed to do her proud and never give in, not even in death, if it came to that. But she was beginning to doubt it would.

Their captor, who claimed to be a prince even though he acted like nothing more than a common soldier, was obviously a weak man. While he called her a slave, it was him who was a slave to his own desires. The dog had tried to tempt her, but she had resisted. Not like it was hard. True, he had an almost ethereal beauty that was balanced by his rugged muscular masculinity, but weren't all demons like that? He was nothing special. Soon she'd grow used to his appearance and it would no longer make her tongue twist and her heart beat faster. And he used a woman who didn't even have spiritual power as his enforcer! She laughed just remembering. He was good at scaring her with his words, she'd give him that, but nothing more. Next time he came at her, she'd fight him off properly and run away, find Kikyo, and go build up a resistance to take back their kingdom.

 **O\o/O**

Kikyo was having her fourth bath in two days.

Even as a woman who had once been a Queen, she was surrounded by things nicer than anything she'd ever seen before, let alone owned. The tub was porcelain and massive, filled with luxuriant soaps and oils. Her maids chose the scents for her, knowing what the man who had purchased her liked and what paired with what. One maid worked at conditioning her newly trimmed hair while another scrubbed her skin. They weren't just pampering her, they were trying to wash the soldier out of her. Trying to wash the Higurashi out of her.

At most, she had expected a marginally better room than the elegant one in the "dungeon", which was still nicer than the rooms in the Higurashi castle she'd grown up in. Rather than sharing a common bathroom, she had her own attached to her private sleeping chamber. Though they were a little smaller and certainly fewer than her rooms at the castle, they were far more beautiful. But such things had ceased to interest her. Kikyo was only existing now. Seeing the room and knowing it was hers was like waking from a troubled sleep only to fall right back into nightmares. It didn't matter.

"You'll like it here," the younger of the maids said. "Prince Inuyasha is very kind and generous."

Prince.

Was he the one who had led the slaughter of her people?

Of Suikotsu?

The opening of her bathroom door stopped her from pursuing her thoughts. There stood the demon that had purchased her. The prince. His brow was lined and he seemed angry. A nod at the maids dismissed them, and they bowed their way out, never turning their backs to him. His female bodyguard stood in the doorway, watching her with eyes that both pitied and resented her.

Silence.

"Are you pleased with the room?"

She nodded.

"Did you know your sister was trouble when you asked me to buy her?"

Had Kagome thrown one of her tantrums? Gods, but she'd thought her sister had grown up by now.

Noticing the expression on her face, he continued, "She's being punished. Don't worry, I won't take my anger out on you."

As if she cared.

"Your bath is finished, correct?"

She supposed it was.

His arms helped her stand, supporting her. His eyes assaulted her, so different from the way she would sometimes catch Suikotsu looking at her. But no one had ever looked at her like he had, and no one ever would again.

Numb, she allowed him to take her hand and lead her, still dripping wet, to her bedchamber, like a husband on a wedding night. Like her own would have been.

In his lust, he didn't care that the sheets were expensive. The demon shoved her face down on the bed, his claws catching and tearing the pillowcase. Kikyo hid her face there unmoving as he undressed behind her. Hard hands bent her knees and lifted her bottom up. She stiffened, mentally preparing herself for the penetration she knew would be torturously painful. Instead, she was met with a soft brush of wetness on her slit. She sucked in a quick breath in reaction. Was that…?

He grew bolder and changed from teasing to probing, circling her opening. Thick fingers joined his tongue and delved deep inside of her, where she squeezed them tight in an automatic reflex. His other hand massaged one of the globes of her bottom, grabbing the flesh and caressing it. It was… He was almost…

Before she could form a thought, he stopped playing with her. Something hot and hard rubbed against her womanhood, coating itself in the juices she only just realized she'd produced. Slowly, it entered her, filling her up effortlessly inch by inch, the way made slick by her excitement. Rather than hurt, it was merely uncomfortable. But the more he filled her, the more she realized how empty she had been, and she wanted more. When he was fully sheathed inside her, she could feel him in her stomach. Gently, he began to move, sawing back and forth in a rhythm that increased in tempo the wetter she became. Her hands gripped the pillow and she burrowed her face further into it. The sensation of her hardened nipples scraping the sheets had her mouth opening and she stuffed the pillow into it to avoid making noise.

One of his hands traveled from the possessive hold on her hip to between her legs, where he rubbed the spot he had been licking just moments before.

Today was her twenty-fifth birthday.

Kikyo cried when the orgasm ripped through her with uncontrollable force, making her every limb twitch and her hips buck. Why? Why had the numbness stopped now, of all times? Why could she feel everything she thought had killed her now? She'd thought the worst thing that could ever happen had happened, but gods, she had been wrong. So, so wrong. A bloody rape would have been preferable over this seduction. At least that way a part of herself could always belong to Suikotsu. But now they could never be together, even after she died. She was no longer worthy of his love.

"How old is your sister?" he asked as he pulled out.

"Eighteen," she choked out automatically.

"That explains some of it."

All she could think about now was how she had missed Kagome's last birthday as a princess. Missed her sister's happiness while battling the very demon that had taken more than her virginity. Through Kaede, she had given Kagome a kitten. The girl had named him Buyo and spoke about him in all her letters. Kikyo had never gotten to meet Buyo.

The demon left her.

The former Queen's sobs could not be heard even in the silence of the room. She wished she had Kagome beside her, but now she seemed as far away as Suikotsu. As far away as Higurashi. As far away as the rest of her soul.

 **Note: Just so you know, this is gonna get darker before the Disneyesque stuff kicks in.**

 **I am so sorry this took so freaking long! As you may have heard, I'm super dupes busy right now, and in addition to that, Sesshomaru is SO HARD for me to write and it SHOWS. Which is why I never do it. Like ever. At all. You may have noticed that trend. But I'm tryna spread my wings a little, so I'm giving this a shot. This story is also different from my others in that I have almost no outline or plans, I'm just letting the characters do all the work, and it's surprisingly fun and doesn't feel as much like a chore, but that makes it a bit slower to write in some places.**

 **Also, next semester I'm doing a crazy amount of work and possibly writing my thesis (everything's so up in the air at this point because I'm attempting to graduate a semester early and junk), so I may update very little or maybe even not at all. But I'm always writing my ideas and working on my stories, even if I'm not posting. Everything will get finished. Even Forget the Storm, abortion that it is and H2H (and my creepyass ongoing one shot series Sweetest Taboo for those of us with the "daddy" chokers and black clothes and big glasses and bad bangs).**

 **I'm also toying with the idea of writing a Halloween Shot Week series. What do you guys think of that? For those of you who don't know/remember, I have a lot of ideas that are shallow and wouldn't make good stories or even proper one shots, and instead of deleting them I bundle them into a Shot Week, where I post a new crappy reject one shot every day of the week. This time I want to do a spooky-themed one! Thoughts? Questions? Concerns? Girl talk? Weeb talk? I'm always looking for fic recommendations. Here's one for you: Lead Me Down the Garden Path by princesspvmpernickel. SO GOOD. Review or PM me (or both)!**


	7. No Sooner Looked Than

**Seven: No Sooner Looked Than...**

The village was full of memories, all of them comforting, even the negative ones. It was simpler than the Inu court, and she was a simple girl. Sango breathed in deeply of the pure mountain air. No stench of schemes or politics or adultery. Only honest nature, sweet and pure. Given only the smallest of leaves, she would barely have a few hours to spend with her people. It would have to be enough to last her until the next time.

For perhaps the first time in her life, Sango dreaded going back to serve as a shadow.

Inuyasha was consumed with a need to satisfy all his darkest fantasies with his newest acquisitions. It was all he ever talked about. Before, when they were always out in the field conquering this kingdom or that city-state, he had interest in all sorts of things. Weapons, fighting techniques, battle tactics, armor improvements, warfare technology... And when they returned to the palace for a few weeks here and there, he'd spend some time in the harem and with her and with his family. He would read up on Inu current events and fight with his brother and get drunk and say terrible things about his father. Never before had she seen him so very single-minded, and single-minded was one of the first things that came to mind when Inuyasha was mentioned.

It made sense, she supposed. Now that his marriage was looming over his head (and hers, she lamented), there was a time limit to his freedom. Doubtless, he'd be forced to accept some dull and plain princess whose domineering family would ensure that his lifestyle of wandering, warfare, and women would be cut off as soon as the wedding date was set. It broke her heart to think he would be forced to suffer such a fate, that someone as free and wild as the very mountain forest itself would sit on a throne hearing petitions and giving orders until everything that made him a man that others followed disappeared.

When last she saw him, her prince had been seated at his desk in his rooms, scribbling furiously. When she had leaned over his shoulder to see what he was so concentrated on, he didn't even notice. Sango wasn't even entirely sure he realized that she had entered the room.

"Is that...?"

"It's a swing," he explained, continuing to draw.

"I can see that. But why is the woman holding balloons?"

He snorted. "Those are what tits look like, Sango."

Gods, she was so close on smacking him on the back of his head. "I haven't seen anyone endowed quite that well," was all she said.

"I'm going to have a craftsman build me one in the harem. When the bitch finally stops throwing her tantrums and acting all crazy, I'm going to put it in her new room. Then she'll start earning her keep."

Knowing Inuyasha like she did, she almost felt sorry for the girl. "Your father gave me approval to visit my family today. I'll be gone for a few hours."

He didn't answer, already sucked back in to his poorly drawn erotic fantasy.

Just recalling it gave Sango a headache. Patting Kirara on the nose, she watched her transform into her smaller form, already bounding off to play in the little patch of flowering meadow she loved the most. Squaring her shoulders, she faced the small hut she had grown up in.

When her mother had lived, there had been all kinds of flowers blooming around, vines climbing up the walls and curling around the windows. Hummingbirds and butterflies and honeybees had been frequent visitors and the sun shone even in the darkest corners. That was the home of her memories. The hollow and gray place that was before her could have belonged to a stranger.

Going to her knees, she waited in the doorway, bowing until her forehead touched the dirt floor.

"Father, my heart gladdens at our reunion. May the gods grant you a hundred years."

As always, her father waited a few moments longer than customary to tap her shoulder, giving her the signal to rise. He did so love to feel like a king. Not even the Inu no Taisho himself affected an air of such conscious nobility (with good reason, she privately thought).

"I wish I could welcome you with a light heart, daughter." Going into the home, he sat on the floor in front of the table, waiting for her to follow on her knees and pour the tea, which she promptly did.

"What do you mean, Father?" Even though she was no longer a child, she could feel panic brimming within her at her remaining parent's disapproval. The agony of waiting and not knowing made it all so much worse. And he knew it. He knew everything.

Accepting the chipped cup of warm tea, he sipped it carefully, brow creased as if mentally going over the phrasing of the words he wanted to say.

"Your brother is not making progress with his training in the way a young warrior of our clan should be."

Immediately, she relaxed, now able to pour herself tea since her hands had stopped trembling. "Kohaku excels at a great many things, Father. Have you seen him treat and dress the wounds of the injured? And woodworking, too." She glowed with pride and continued with her favorite subject. "He made a chair so fine the second Prince himself purchased it, and you know he doesn't do things like that just to be nice."

The chief waved his hand dismissively, setting down his cup. "Those are not occupations fitting for the firstborn son, let alone a taijiya." His expression hardened. "But for once, daughter, your brother is not my most pressing concern."

The plummeting of her stomach gave her an idea of where the conversation was headed.

"There have been more rumors concerning your conduct with the prince."

Sango felt her spine become rigid. "I am his shadow, as I have been for twelve years. We are comrades and nothing more."

"That's good to hear. I know how the prince is, and it would not do for you to become inappropriately close to him."

"I have not and I never will." It used to hurt when she denied her love for her prince, but she'd had to do it so many times that she no longer felt anything. Routine. Lying about her feelings had become routine, just like the rest of her duties.

"A woman must keep herself pure and not allow any man to take her power," he continued as though she had not spoken. His face took on a kind of energy that almost frightened her. "You have powers we men could never have. Your purity, your very virginity, is the source of your strength. If you give that away to a man, you give away that which sets you above the rest of us, above every man and every used woman."

"I know all this, Father." Honestly, had any other woman of her tribe made it to twenty-eight and stayed a virgin? Did he honestly believe she was so innocent?

"You've realized all my hopes for you by being not just a virgin warrior, ranking among the goddesses themselves, but the shadow to a member of the immediate royal family as well. You must continue to fight, continue to scorn men, and you shall never fail in standing above even the best of our male warriors."

To be honest, Sango was not entirely sure she had discarded the beliefs of her people in her time as both shadow and bed partner to her prince. While she still felt physically just as strong as she had always been, it was true her love for Inuyasha had made her weak in other ways. Every time he got a new slave, she suffered from horrible jealousy, cutting into her with such depth and inflicting pain she hadn't even known existed. The emotional turmoil distracted her from her duties, and, horror of horrors, what if while dwelling upon the prince's attentions to women who weren't her caused her to slip up and let him be injured, or worse, killed? Her love was so strong, but it was a hopeless love that could never be realized. When she thought about it for extended periods of time, she sometimes considered suicide, either to make recompense for the shame she'd brought upon her family or just to get away from a world where she could never be happy.

And something about how he was reacting to the new slaves made her feel so much worse than before. It frightened her. He wasn't acting like himself. It was like he was a whole new person, too merciful and too brutal all at once in his treatment of them.

"Daughter," his voice was low and affectionate, but also gravely serious. "I will not hesitate to mete out justice if it is ever discovered you have broken your solemn vow."

The law stated that he himself would cut off her head if she had broken her oath.

"I love him," she choked out. She had to do it. After all the years of lying, of waiting for him to love only her, she needed someone else to know. Even if it cost her the very head on her shoulders.

He seemed unsurprised. Who else hadn't they fooled? "Do you love him more than you love your duty?"

It took a moment, but she nodded, not able to verbally confirm it, her voice having fled far away from her painfully tight throat. If she loved him enough to risk losing her head every time she showed her love for him, she must love him more than being a warrior, right? More than her people and the life she had dedicated herself to ever since she could remember. Right?

"It can never be, child. Your stations are too far removed."

The unforgivably beautiful faces of his newest slaves flashed in her head. "I'm aware."

Inuyasha would marry a princess, or maybe even a queen with how the Inu empire was gaining power. While being the daughter of the chief was similar to being a princess in her tribe, among them merit counted far more than birth did. And if it came to merit, she was ranked above every princess in the world.

But the Inu didn't do things that way, and the Inu didn't change.

"If you wish to marry, you would certainly have your pick among any of the tribesman."

"Not a one of them interests me." Her heart had been captured forever by a dashing and thoroughly unobtainable half-demon. Not a man alive could match him for anything.

The chief seemed happier. Clapping her on the back like he would one of his subordinates, he said, "So stay alive and be a virgin warrior. One day, leadership of the tribe will pass to you. You have more than earned it."

She couldn't seem to meet his eyes. "I do want children. One day." Though it was what she had aspired to be as a young girl, she was not strong enough emotionally to be a virgin warrior, to rank among those sainted battle maidens.

"After a year or more of leadership, pick any man and retire. If your children are strong, and they will be, then they could lead the tribe one day."

She sighed. It seemed like Inuyasha wasn't the only one who was going to be forced to marry. "I will think on it."

They sat in silence for a moment.

"We just got some new trainees for guard positions. Would you like to give the welcoming speech?"

Sango perked up a little. "Eunuchs?"

He smiled. "Yes. They're out there cowering right now."

"I suppose I could give a little talk. Just to let them know there won't be any slacking..."

"You can use the Hiraikotsu on them."

"I bet they'll scream like little girls!"

 **O\o/O**

Miroku stumbled out of the carriage, the last of the passengers to do so. The eunuchs he had traveled with had never said a word to him. They'd hardly said a word to one another, but it was enough to make their snub more than obvious. He sighed, stumbling when the ground was closer than he had thought, almost falling on his face. Looking around, he was gratified that no one had noticed, then disheartened by how very alone and invisible he was in this new chapter of his life. Just a few years, he told himself. A few years of his life and he could go back and finish his education, where he'd have an assured spot for the rest of his life as a master tutor.

Corralling the eunuchs like dogs with sheep were men dressed in leather armor, masks tied around their faces, obscuring their features, but not enough to hide their expressions that told anyone who knew how to read them that they were the most dangerous people they would ever meet. Miroku could feel his palms sweating. Never before was he more acutely aware of his fair skin and thin arms, features that seemed more than normal coming from a noble scholarly background as he did. Perhaps he had acted somewhat out of character and made a mistake. Would they be very angry if he confessed that he was not a eunuch or would they show mercy and let him go? Or would they see to it that the trip was not wasted and neuter him where he stood?

It was the most inappropriate thought to have in his head when he first met the love of his life, but that was how things seemed to be working for him these days.

The woman, no, the _goddess_ strolling through the ranks of hunched over doughy eunuchs was something beyond imagination. She stood there in the flesh shining brighter than even his most vivid daydreams. Every toned muscle was outlined and accentuated by the tight, thin leather of her armor. A pink sash hung suggestively draped around her wide hips and the delectable curve of her perky breasts left his mouth dry. Hair the color of the richest leather that bound his favorite book back in his university's library hung down her back, tied high on her noble head. It was a good thing half her face was covered with a mask like the rest of her peers, for to see such shining perfection all at once would have struck him dead. Her impossible regal beauty made time stop around her and he could see the air vibrate around her, pulsing with the beating of his heart.

Miroku fell in love. Somewhat literally.

When next he opened his eyes, he was looking up at her leather boot on his chest. Seeing her above him like that just felt so right that at first he did not even question how he'd wound up on the ground.

"Weak," she sneered down at him. Pressing down with her boot hard enough to bruise, she turned around and left without another look at him.

Miroku fell in lust.

Her ass. The leather woman's ass was something that caused men to leave their homes and fight for glory (but mostly that ass). It was something that would drive the most skilled of poets to drink for lack of ability to accurately describe its beauty, the most eloquent of wordings insultingly inefficient. The leather stretched across her incomparable rear, showcasing the firm bounty, tight enough that it seemed poured on.

There was no time for him to continue musing on the earthshaking things that had just occurred. The eunuchs were crowding around him, walking past him, and he realized that he was invisible again. Staggering to his feet, he hoped that it was just stress that had caused his faint. Something like that would normally embarrass him, but not this time. Not when it had earned him the attention and a word from his goddess. Smiling, he gingerly touched the dirty footprint on the front of his robes, wincing at how tender he was there. A love tap. He'd cherish it always.

At the front of the crowd stood his goddess. She was glaring, her fiercely beautiful mahogany eyes taking them all in, measuring them. The others cowered in groups and he didn't blame them. She was every inch justice personified.

"Eunuchs." Her clear voice was filled with contempt. "Useless scum. What led to your manhood being bloodily taken from you? Rape." She looked a man in the face and he flinched away. "Debt. Violence. Sexual perversions. But none of that defines you here." She smiled and the crowd almost relaxed. "You are all trash. None of you can rise above trash. But if you work hard, _trash_ , and you survive your training with my fellow taijiya, then maybe, just maybe, you can be comfortable trash. And one day, you will be giving orders to the new trash."

"How noble," he sighed to anyone who would listen.

The eunuchs paid no attention to him, but he was different from they and observed them closely. To his immense shock, none of their faces radiated the emotions he was experiencing. Not even close. Some were afraid, some were bitter and angry, and some displayed nothing but a hollow emptiness that chilled him. Miroku suppressed a shudder. Though he had never truly fit in anywhere, not even the academy, for just a moment he'd felt connected to the eunuchs. They were all there due to desperate circumstances. For who would undergo the famously excruciating training to become an Inu palace guard unless they had no other options? For just that moment, he had forgotten that they were not exactly comrades. He wasn't a eunuch, and he had never been a hardened criminal. Compared to them, he had lived an easy life.

To add to that, they were now competitors.

Miroku knew enough of the way the Inu did things to feel a shadow of regret at his impulsive decision to become a guard. But the thought of having access to the prince's famous harem of beauties coupled with the alcohol and his patron's abandonment had made him stupid. Usually, he thought things out thoroughly before taking any kind of action, man of learning that he was. Sighing again, he focused his gaze back on his statuesque love. If it wasn't for that old asshole Mushin cutting him off, he never would have had the chance to spy such superbly exalted beauty. Even if he did die during his training and never got to taste the sweet nectar of a maiden's favor, it would be worth it.

Not all of the men gathered on the mountain today would still be there at the end of training. Most wouldn't be there by the end of the week, either having fled or died in training. Fire entered his blue eyes for the first time in years as he stared at the posterior that had so lately laid claim to his very soul. No matter what, he would make it. Miroku would claw his way to survival and then eventually to a place high enough where he would be able to reach out and grab that perfect leather-ensconced ass.

Blinking in confusion at the eunuchs moving and breaking up into larger groups, he felt as though his spirit had been traveling and suddenly jerked back into his body. Perhaps he should have been paying attention to what his love had been saying instead of how her hips rolled seemingly without her conscious intention. The woman in leather stood in a power stance in front of the crowds, eyes lighting up with glee when she spied a tear here and there. It only made her seem more like the personification of justice, and Miroku could no longer contain himself. Elbowing past those who were once men, he made his way to where the lady who ruled his heart was stationed.

"Marvelous," he said, cringing when his voice came out both too loud and too high. Coughing in what he hoped was a manly way, he applauded. "Simply fantastic."

His goddess didn't even look at him. "Kohaku," she called, "I'll leave the rest to you and the others."

Was she leaving? Already? When their love had only just begun to blossom? Heart full of agony at the thought of such a brutally sudden parting, Miroku grabbed her hand, feeling somewhat ridiculous when he realized his hands were small and soft while hers were large and callused. She was capable. He was…not. But why should that stop them?

"My lady," he purred in his best imitation of the troubadours and minstrels he'd seen employing their natural skills of seduction on the maids in his favorite bars. "Seeing you today has left me entirely speechless. Your eyes are like a sacred cow's and your scent is of ambergris."

Her brow raised. "What the hell is ambergris?"

For a second, he didn't respond, too stunned that she had spoken directly to him to realize that the words she'd given him required a response which she was now impatiently awaiting.

"Whale vomit."

Withdrawing her hand as swiftly as a striking snake, she slapped him across the face so hard he fell to his knees.

"Keep an eye on this one. He tried to get out of training earlier by faking a fainting spell and then came up and insulted me." Glaring down at him, she shook her head in disgust. "Whale vomit." And then she stomped off, returning to a place where he could not follow.

Miroku stared at her ass as long as he could, until it was just an arousing speck in the distance. Putting his hand to where her red handprint blessed his face, he felt his uninjured cheek heat in a blush. That woman, that leather goddess, was the one. No woman would ever compare to her.

"Who was that?" he murmured to the indistinct form next to him he hadn't bothered to look at, as insignificant to him as he himself was to his love.

"Sango. Sorry about that, she doesn't like to take it easy with the new recruits. Just so you don't embarrass yourself again, I'm telling you my sister is very off limits. The only women who are more dangerous to touch than she is are the prince's women, the queen, and the empress."

Miroku blinked rapidly, a multitude of feelings, mostly negative, running through him. The young boy, his lady's brother, spoke sympathetically even though his eyes held a wealth of mirth.

"Who is she? The prince's intended?"

The boy's mouth twisted in a frown. "No." The word was harsh, but then his voice softened again. "She's his shadow. The prince will probably release her sooner than later, but I still don't think you have a chance."

"Can you ask her to assign me to the prince's harem?"

He laughed, no doubt at the suddenly lascivious look on the pretend eunuch's face. "That's the fastest I've ever seen anyone fall out of infatuation."

The boy extended a hand to him and Miroku stumbled to his feet without its aid, embarrassed that he was still kneeling. What had he meant? Infatuation? Ridiculous! This was the purest love in the history of the world. But the harem was the harem.

"I'm Kohaku." The boy removed his mask and smiled, revealing freckles and a single dimple. It was a sweet face, a gentle face. Not a thing like his harshly beautiful sister's. "You're in my training squad. Welcome to hell."

 **O\o/O**

There was one thing Kagome was grateful for in her hated imprisonment. The glowing orb that floated near the ceiling radiated enough light that shadows did not have the opportunity to exist in any corner. She supposed it was intended to do the opposite of comfort. Many people couldn't sleep with a light on and a continually bright windowless room must be maddening to some, but it was quite the opposite for her.

Nothing terrified her like the dark. Not even the thought of the terrible torture her captor would soon inflict on her was as scary as being alone in a dark room. She shivered just thinking about it and stared at the light until it temporarily blinded her, not wanting even the darkness behind her eyes to bring back that sick feeling of lonely, abandoned horror that always plagued her in the dark. Unless Kikyo was with her, as she had been on their escape, darkness would drive her to tears within seconds and the air was choking her but she gasped for it anyway and she'd scream and scream and scream and no one would come—

That dog didn't know it, but if he had left her without the light, he would have gotten what he wanted immediately.

She forced herself to stop thinking about it. Was this glowing orb magic? Some of her nurses had told her stories about magic. In Higurashi, the closest thing to magic that existed was the group of priestesses, that elite army of women with power in every bit of their being that, according to Kikyo, had been wiped out entirely.

A strange mix of emotions filled Kagome whenever she thought about it.

Priestesses weren't quite magic, at least not according to Kikyo and Kaede, who had attempted to educate her about them just enough so that she knew what the average person did and no more. Priestesses were gifted with the power of the great goddesses because they themselves were demi-goddesses, descended from the gods. Unless a girl of a priestess line proved herself unworthy, her powers would manifest by the time of her first moon flow, and even that was late.

But she was different, they said.

Her aura was weak. She had no power. It was a deformation so strikingly obvious to those able to sense it that from the time she was born it was known she would never manifest any power. When she was young, it hadn't bothered her at all. Kikyo's training was harsh and she had to go away all the time and do things she didn't want to do. Kagome would much rather be catered to like she had been as a princess. Sure, she wanted to get away and see the world and do things, but not at the price of the horrific scars that covered her sister's body. But for all her sister's and Kaede's kindnesses, there were a hundred whispers meant for her to overhear, a thousand barbs to her heart.

 _It's because she killed Queen, her own mother, while still in the shelter of her womb…_

… _just like the demons, awful, horrible, should have been killed…_

 _The Queen is too kind for allowing her to live._

 _Kind? Nonsense. Weak. It's because of that demon calling herself a princess that this kingdom will fall, mark my words._

And so it was.

Kagome tried her best to hide what happened when Kikyo left the palace from her sister, but it had begun to wear on her. By and large, the perpetrators were priestesses. Arrogant. Mean. That's what came to mind when she thought of those women who wielded such fearsome power. Only Kikyo and Kaede were different. She knew it was wrong, knew she was awful, but there was a tiny part of her that felt gratified at the slaughter of those cruel women. They'd never fought to protect the kingdom, to protect the innocent people of Higurashi whom they looked down on almost as much as they looked down on Kagome, but fought to compete with one another, to see who was the strongest. In her mind, they were nearly as bad as the Inu.

Sighing, she stared at the globe again. She missed Kikyo. For a while, she'd tried screaming messages to her sister, hoping she would hear and they would rouse her and awaken the part of her that had been damaged by their capture. She'd said she was sorry. She'd said she loved her.

There was never even a whisper back.

The fact that everything from the murder of her own mother to the fall of their kingdom to their capture and enslavement was done by her hands left her angry, so angry at herself that she did little but cry now. It had been days since the dog had last visited her and she longed for him to come so that she would not have to face herself any longer. Would he kill her, she wondered, if she was very rebellious? Kagome didn't even know whether that would be a bad thing anymore.

"Kikyo," she whimpered, the tears starting anew. "No matter what, we'll see each other again. No matter what I have to do, we'll be together."

 **O\o/O**

The three people gathered in the dungeon observation room stared at the girl with varying emotions. The guard in pity, the prince in confusion, and the shadow in boredom.

"She's just staring at the fucking observation orb. Do you think she's trying to blind herself?"

Sango sighed. "You left her alone for a long time. Maybe she lost it."

"It's not like she was all there before."

"Are you going in today, Prince?"

Inuyasha stared at the girl who was huddled in a corner, her head bowed on her knees and obscuring her face, but not before he noticed the tears that had started. Quickly, he turned away.

"Not today."

Sango wanted to roll her eyes but refrained from doing so in the presence of the guard. There was a certain image to maintain, after all. Fearless warriors devoted to their royal charges to the point of death had to show them a modicum of respect. At least in front of others. But the prince was wearing on her nerves. Every day, they came down to the dungeon and watched the girl. Every damn day. At first, she had been glad that Inuyasha didn't go in to see her. Good. Let the bitch suffer. The Higurashi scum had dared to raise a hand (foot, actually) to her prince time and again and showed no signs of learning her lesson. Weak in body and weak of mind yet she didn't even know it.

But gods above, if she had to come down here one more fucking time and watch her prince watch the girl cry into her overflowing chamber pot, she was going to lose it.

It was boring. It was depressing. But most of all, it was infuriating.

Every day. He stared at her every day, sometimes distractedly commenting, like they were watching a theater show, but most of the time staying silent. What was it about the girl that so fascinated her prince, her love? She was just some maid from Higurashi. And she wasn't even his type!

The limbo of his voyeurism was worse than the hell of jealousy she felt when watching him with his other women.

"My prince, it's been far too long. Perhaps the slave has forgotten why she resisted you and is ready to join the harem."

Barely glancing at her, he frowned and watched the orb again. "All she does is curl up and cry. I thought she had more fight in her."

Was that what he wanted? It was hard to keep from frowning. "Then go in there and remind the bitch who took her freedom. Prod at her enough and she'll be clawing at you again in no time." In a way, the girl reminded her of the prince, though it pained her to say it. The two of them were so stubborn to the point of being almost stupid. A word or even just his appearance would probably have the girl screaming and biting and generally being a nuisance again.

His golden eyes flickered like candlelight but she knew the will behind them burned much greater. "Let's go." He gave the order that the guard turn off the observation orb. No need for him to see things that would only cause trouble.

This time when they opened the door, she didn't come flying at them like a bat out of hell. She stayed curled in the corner, her naked form shivering in the cold under the thin blanket that did precious little but make her itchy. She had broken her cot during one of her many frightening tantrums and so had to sleep on the freezing stone floor. It was a miracle that she wasn't deathly ill. Yet.

Inuyasha stood in the center of the room, surveying it like he hadn't been watching her closely every single day for hours upon hours. Finally, his gaze flicked back to her.

"Hey."

Kagome hid her face behind her hands, drying her eyes with the heels of her palms. "What do _you_ want?" Her voice was full of tears like a child just getting over scraping their knee.

"To see your face. Show it to me."

Surprisingly, she obeyed, curling her hands into fists at her side and glaring at him, the irritated redness surrounding her eyes emphasizing how very blue her irises were. For a minute, Inuyasha just looked at her, absorbing the hatred in her gaze, taking that energy and feeding off of it.

"Do you like it down here?"

She snorted and lowered her head to her knees again, but not before they caught a glimpse of her renewed tears.

"What sane person would? I hate it! The only thing I hate more is you."

Before Sango could even blink, he had her dangling in the air by her hair. The girl was too shocked to cry out, too shocked to move. She only stared, her brilliant eyes wide and almost awed, meeting his own for the first time that day. His grip tightened slightly and she whimpered, and that was what brought him back to himself. As quickly as he had grabbed her, he threw her down again, and she landed on the hard floor with nothing to break her fall. Sango winced in automatic sympathy.

Before she could right herself, Inuyasha grabbed her hand and put her palm against the crotch of his gleaming white trousers that only made the room seem that much more dingy and impoverished.

"Take it out," he whispered. There was something in his eyes she had never seen before. A wildness, a desperation, a darkness. His impending forced marriage was taking such a toll on him.

As though under a spell, Kagome became an obedient slave. With an almost touching gentleness, she popped open his buttons and slipped through the seams of his underclothes until she removed his manhood from its hiding place and brought it out into the light. Sango didn't know whether the pink in the girl's cheeks was from a maidenly modesty, humiliation, lust, or fever. Maybe all together.

"Do you know what I want to do with this?" His cock twitched in her small hand, stimulated even though she wasn't even gripping him, wasn't even holding or caressing him, just allowing him to lie there in her palm.

For the space of a few heartbeats, she didn't say a word. Then her eyes, again filling with tears, turned up to meet his. "Hurt me." Her voice was so small, so soft, so close to suffocated.

Inuyasha slapped her hand away and sneered. "Idiot. You have no idea how good you could have it if only you'd cooperate."

"Oh, so I'm an idiot for not wanting you to torture me for your own pleasure!?"

She tried to get to her feet, but that was when Inuyasha shot back with, "Just listen to me for once, you stupid bitch!"

Immediately, Kagome went to her knees and opened her mouth. With Inuyasha displayed the way he was, it was obvious that the girl was frightened ten times over.

"Fuck, I shoulda picked a different word," he muttered. Quickly putting himself away, he crossed his arms and glared down at Kagome until the spell wore off and she scurried away from him as far as she could get in the tiny room, wrinkling her nose in disgust when as far as she could get turned out to be right next to the chamber pot.

"What?" she hissed at him. "Haven't you had enough fun humiliating me today?"

"I don't get you." Strolling over to where she was huddled, he towered above her, looking every inch the empire's hero in his shining white tunic and breeches threaded with gold and his scarlet fire rat cape. The songs didn't do him justice. "All of this would go away if you just sucked me off. Then you'd get a nice room in the harem. I'd come see you again and relieve you of your virginity and then we can really start having fun together. I know you'd like it. I can always tell when a bitch—" resentfully, she rose to her knees again, "—is dying for a good fuck."

When the spell wore off, she stayed in that position for a second, and even Sango thought she might actually be considering it, but that same glint that was present in Inuyasha's eyes manifested in hers to a more innocent degree, and she smiled, blinding the both of them with how pretty she could be when she tried, and promptly knocked the chamber pot onto the hero prince's leather boots.

As full of unmentionable things as it was, the chamber pot didn't just empty onto the boots and the floor. No, that would have been too easy. As it was, the slave and her master were both at the perfect position to turn the tables on humiliation. The pot's contents sloshed inside the top of his boots, soaking his trousers and his feet, irreparably staining the clothes worth more than the entirety of her kingdom. Sango gaped at the girl. Fuck, but she was going to be in big trouble.

Inuyasha swayed on his feet. The smell of it reminded him of that terrible day in Higurashi, the day that was supposed to be full of glory, the day that was supposed to be added on to one of the many ballads that sung his praises throughout every corner of the Inu empire on which the sun never set. His hands clenched into fists, claws piercing his own skin and drawing blood. Not even the thick-headed slave girl was oblivious to the tension, to how her very life depended on the whim of the man she had just insulted in the highest degree.

Inuyasha laughed.

The shadow winced. While she loved her prince, there were some things about him that she would have changed if she only could. Like his laugh. He never laughed in happiness like others. Honestly, sometimes she doubted he ever even felt joy. There was only working at victory and then moving on to the next one, hardly ever resting unless on the point of exhaustion or wounded nearly to death. When he laughed, if it wasn't one of his false court laughs, it was mean. It was mocking. It meant danger.

"Sango, hit her. Open palm. This one's not used to it, remember."

Kagome scrambled to her feet, trying to get away, but there was no way someone like her with no training could even think to get past Sango. Grabbing the struggling slave by the hair to keep her still, she threw her to the ground. Sango hit her just hard enough that her pretty face would bruise, leaving her with a lasting reminder of the prince's mercy.

"Again. Just as hard."

She obeyed, trying to keep her face like a stone even as she felt the girl's hot tears scald the skin of her hand. Somehow, this was different from the other times. The other girls had fallen in line much sooner with much less persuasion. They were still at the first step, not even the first step, the prologue to Inuyasha's game. Usually, it never lasted longer than a few days. The other women knew how to play, but this one didn't even see it was a game. She was in fear for her life, though she tried to be brave.

"Now tie her up and sit her down while I wash this shit offa me." Inuyasha didn't look at the slave, didn't look at anything but his dirty boots and pant legs as he left the room.

The rope from one of her many hidden pockets was usually used to scale walls and miscellaneous other tasks. It wasn't silk, like the prince normally used in his bedroom games. It would rasp against the girl's skin and cut through it when she would undoubtedly try to struggle and get away even when she knew it was hopeless. Sighing, she made a quick job of it, helped by the slave's limp compliance as she cried like she was the only person in the world who had ever suffered.

"Stop that," Sango barked once she was finished. "He hasn't even done anything to you and you're acting like it's the end of the world."

The girl glared at her through her disheveled black hair. "Hasn't done anything? What _hasn't_ he done!?" She was working herself up again and her temper was back to an inferno. "He killed my people without provocation, stole me, stole my sister, and keeps us locked in the dungeon while he tries to make whores of us!"

Sango raised a brow. Without provocation? Really, this one must not have paid attention to politics at all if she missed something as big as the reason why the Inu bothered attacking the isolated barbarians. The real reason was kept hush-hush, but rumors still abounded. However, that didn't matter now. The war was over and soon the pockets of resistance would be put down as well. It would have gone faster had the prince been allowed to stay at the front, but apparently marrying him off to some random bimbo was more important than the honor of the empire— And now she was angry, too. Great.

"Inuyasha is a good master. The sooner you play along, the sooner you can get out of this godforsaken hole and see your sister again."

"I would never obey in the first place, and aside from that, I wouldn't come back down here just to be used as a tool to get my sister to submit. Never!"

It was hard to keep from smiling. "Your sister has been comfortable in the harem for a long time now."

The horror on the girl's face was something Sango had previously only witnessed during battle, when she'd cut a man's guts out and he looked down and realized that it was over, that he would be dead before he hit the ground. That split second of realization was drawn out in the girl's case. Her skin paled like it had been completely drained of blood, even her lips lost their rosiness. Sweat broke out on her forehead and her hands shook, every part of her was shaking.

Kagome couldn't think. It had to be a lie. Of course it was a lie. It was one of the dog's dreadful lies to get her to be his whore. Maybe he suspected who they were. Maybe they were torturing Kikyo somewhere far away and decided to mess with her head to get her to talk. But the dog didn't seem like a liar. He was too stupid for that. If he'd had any inkling of who they were, he would have used his or his shadow's fists to force it out of her. Which meant that maybe his guard was telling the truth. Kikyo was in the harem. She had obeyed.

But why?

It made her sick when she thought of how Kikyo had looked when they were captured. There had been something wrong with her, something different ever since they had run, but it wasn't until they awoke to the darkness of the slaver basement that she had seemed truly broken. Sometimes that happened to warriors. A part of their soul fled and they were no longer who they once were. To her knowledge it had never happened to a priestess. Kikyo was stronger than some mere soldier, than even a mere priestess. She was Queen, she was all the Queens, and would be until her daughter consumed her ashes after her death.

There was no way she would just give up.

Color came back to her cheeks and she nearly laughed aloud. It was stupid of her to worry. Kikyo was so much smarter than her, so much better at everything. The guard had said it was a game, right? Then Kikyo was just playing along. Strategizing. Kikyo was going to get them out of here. All Kagome had to do was be patient and her sister would rescue her soon enough. The dogs didn't stand a chance. Everything that Kagome had done to get them into this nightmare, Kikyo would undo.

The dog returned, shirtless and with a new pair of trousers. He grimaced down at where she sat far too close for anyone's liking to the spilled mess. Courage rekindled, Kagome smiled innocently up at him, stuffing her mischief away for the day. Assured that Kikyo had a plan and was one step closer to winning their freedom and therefore their kingdom back, she was in too good a mood to fight more than was absolutely necessary.

"Ready the room at the end of the hall, Sango."

The shadow looked at him askance. At the end of the hall was the best room in the dungeon, better even than her sister, who had been nothing but obedient, had been given. Whatever he was up to, she was sure it would only make things worse, and she felt relieved as she left the cell.

Inuyasha stared down at Kagome, face full of a slightly resentful curiosity, head cocked to the side. The slave shifted uncomfortably and refused to look at him. For the first time, he reminded her of a puppy and not the rabid slavering dog of war her nurses had painted nightmare pictures of.

"I don't get you," he repeated. "Free women would give all they have to be where you are now. I've had queens and princesses and wealthy merchant's wives and daughters beg me to take them and make them my slaves. But I never do and I never will." He crouched down. "Rich girls aren't fun. There's not enough inside them to break or even tame."

Kagome just kept smiling. If he only knew. But then again, the dungeons of this place were like the finest rooms back in the castle. Perhaps she wasn't a rich girl. Not like she had thought. And the gods knew she had never been a proper princess. The whole world was different from Higurashi. She was different.

"This room is probably a palace to you, though, coming from Higurashi. Shit and all." He stood up. The meanness was back, the puppy was gone. It made it worse that it was almost true. "I know that you hate me, and that's fine. I hate you and all your kind, too." His eyes glared down like noonday suns and she believed it. "But look at everything I've given you. I've never really hurt you, never really punished you even though I want to. Would you rather have been sold to a brothel than the generous prince of Inu?"

"Yes!" Kagome blurted out, sick of his arrogance. "At least there I'd be better than a whore. Even if I did have to make soup all day and sleep in the kitchens."

Inuyasha gaped at her. Kagome looked back up at him, lips fixed stubbornly. Finally, he began to laugh. It was loud and ridiculous, almost like shouting, rough and even a little musical. It was a kind of laugh she had never heard before, one that made her want to join in, but since she knew he was laughing at her she would fight that urge.

"Fucking unbelievable," he whispered to himself, wiping a stray tear from his eye and snorting a laugh again. "A whore and a jester in one. What a bargain." Inuyasha was sure he would never be able to hand her off to some disgusting old courtier like he had planned before. The bitch had just given him a glimpse inside a kind of innocence that could never exist in the whole of Inu. Everything would be so perfect. All he had to do was take a different approach.

"What are you laughing at?" she almost whined, never sounding more like a little sister. Poor Kikyo, the things she must have had to deal with. "What's the joke?"

"You, you idiot." His words were harsh but the way he said them was soft, and his face was lit from within. There was something there. Delight. He was delighting in her.

While she lost herself staring at— _studying_ , she told herself—the dog, he took advantage of the moment to grab her by the wrists and ankles and heave her over his shoulders, like a shepherd carrying a lost lamb. It was skin on skin and for the first time in so long, Kagome was warm.

"How do you think babies are made?" he asked, taking her to a room finer than her own back in Higurashi, bigger, too. There was a giant fireplace, but to her disappointment, it was unlit and empty. At least there was another magic orb. As long as she had that friendly light and her faith in Kikyo, she could endure. He lowered her down to the floor and she realized he expected an answer to his embarrassing question. Both he and his guard were looking at her, him in amusement, and she in poorly disguised boredom.

She blushed. Kikyo had explained marital duties to her before, but recounting them in front of strangers, especially these, was torture in itself. Kagome reminded herself that her sister had a plan and she was going to get them out of this, but she had to be an asset to her and not make any trouble, no matter how much she wanted to. Eyes focused on her feet, she touched her tongue to her lower lip, missing completely the way her master's eyes tracked the movement with animal focus.

"Um, when a man and a woman are married, they, um, go to bed without their—no clothes. And he takes her in his arms," she had imagined this part countless times with Hojo and still wasn't yet desensitized enough to the image to make it bearable, "and they kiss each other and say their prayers and then if the gods are pleased they will have babies growing in the garden."

The guard and the dog shared a look, him in amusement and her in what looked like shock.

"The duty and burden of the Inu is to educate the ignorant, isn't it, Sango?"

She nodded, but glanced at Kagome, looking a little apprehensive, unsure. "Has she agreed, then?"

He shot the dirty slave on the ground a disgusted look. "Like I'd even try it when she looks like that."

"Hey, it's your fault I look like this at all!" She wanted him not to touch her, but not for something like him finding her disgusting. That was just hurtful.

The prince of dogs continued like her obvious offense had never been voiced. "Nah, we're gonna give her a different kind of lesson. So she sees and begins to understand. Some of that innocence is going to have to go."

"What do you—"

Inuyasha interrupted Sango with a hard kiss to the mouth. His hands expertly undressed her, peeling the tight leather from her body as they had thousands of times before. Through slitted eyes, he watched the reaction of the slave on the ground. Kagome stared at the two of them, absolutely and completely stunned. To his gratification, she stared openly and didn't even look away once, too astonished to remember her prissy little bitch attempts at clinging to propriety.

Swift action of the two of them pushed away his shadow's underclothes. Inuyasha decided to make this extra good for her. Maybe then the bitch would have a slight comprehension of just what it was she was missing out on. Lowering Sango to the ground next to Kagome, he bent her over on hands and knees right in front of his slave's face.

"This," he began, spreading Sango's thighs apart, "is a pussy. It's what you are to use to please me. If you're good, I know how to make it sing for you." To demonstrate, he ran his claws gently over Sango's outer lips before dipping his fingers in, first shallow and then deeper, a steady pumping, occasionally brushing over her clit with the pad of his thumb. She moaned, if a little theatrically, understanding the objective wasn't just getting her or him off but getting the slave curious about the erotic dance they were about to perform.

"Tell Kagome how it feels, Sango."

Her legs were trembling and there was no acting there. "I-it's like an ocean of warmth is spreading throughout my every part. Everything feels good, so _good_ , better than anything. I can't... I can't control my—" She cried out and collapsed onto her elbows, face pressed into the rug as she rode out her orgasm.

While Sango continued to twitch and whimper on the floor, Inuyasha hovered over Kagome. He made it very obvious he was taking his time removing his pants, wanting her to look at him, to make the sight of him familiar to her very virginal eyes. What made it all that much more awful for her was that for some strange reason she wanted to look at him. Never had she seen a man's body before. There were a few times she'd tried with Hojo, naturally being curious about that sort of thing, but he possessed a kind of maidenly modesty that made her wonder if the rumors of his family being so thoroughly inbred that he had a twin embedded in his torso were true.

The dog should have disgusted her. Those sculpted muscles and that golden skin should have made her want to retch in panic, in fear. Instead, her fingers itched to touch him like they had always itched to touch every beautiful thing she had ever seen, every work of art or nature that had made her nurses say over and over again, "Look with your eyes, not your hands, princess". Kagome tried to force herself to feel hatred when she looked at him, but all she felt inside was a vague feeling that she'd experienced a few times in dreams, that misty little tickling sensation in the pit of her stomach, in the core of her, that evaporated with the sun. That feeling was something she had been rather fond of and had looked forward to eagerly, sensing something beyond it that would answer some question she hadn't even known she'd been asking. And now he had ruined it. Not realizing she was pouting, she stared determinedly at the wall, missing completely the way he smirked at the back of her head.

Inuyasha could feel that everything was about to get much easier. Her eyes, those summer skies free of clouds, had been drinking him in, too innocent to know of the invitation she was sending him. His nose was almost as good as one of the most powerful full demon's, but even a regular dog couldn't have missed the tantalizing aroma she began to produce when he'd given her a look at what she didn't even know she wanted.

"You'll be more familiar with this soon enough," Inuyasha said, drawing her attention back to him. His thick length twitched when her gaze fell on it and he stroked himself to the sight of her flaming face. "Pay attention. This is a cock." Sango was still on the ground in the same position in which he had left her, recovered now but waiting for him to take the next step. Kneeling behind her, the prince made sure his pupil would see everything. "Your sister is a liar. This is how babies are made, Ka-Go-Me." With each syllable of her name, he thrust himself a little further inside Sango.

Kagome's wide eyes were stuck on the place where the half-demon and human were joined together. He was _stabbing_ her, his ally, with that thing, with his cock. It was invasive and she shuddered in phantom pain, unable to keep herself from imagining it. But his guard didn't scream in pain or even grunt in discomfort. Instead, she moaned like before, long and low, and moved back against him, bringing a hand up to her breast and pulling at her hard nipple. The former princess suddenly had a strong desire to do that same thing to herself. Never before had she touched there, not even when alone, and whenever a servant bathed her they avoided the area. What would it feel like? Good, like how Sango made it look?

"You see, Kagome," Inuyasha continued, pleasure evident in his voice. "It doesn't hurt. I wouldn't hurt you with this. Any pain I inflict on my women is pleasure disguised." His hips began to move faster, settling into a hypnotic rhythm that Kagome couldn't help but to follow. There was something about the way he moved that denoted skill, even to her novice gaze. In the place between her thighs the dream feeling intensified to a state she hadn't even known it could ascend to, and soon she felt threads of fire wind their way through her veins, all coming from that very spot.

The prince brought his shadow up against his chest, one hand on her hip and the other at her breast, the claws puckering her skin. Sango's face was a bright pink and there was a mad kind of light in his eyes. For the first time, Kagome fully comprehended that this was an experience she had no idea of. It was the first true mystery she had ever come close to. What they were doing, what they were feeling, was so completely foreign and alien to her that it seemed almost unreal.

Always curious, she wanted to know.

"When I come," Inuyasha said, his voice low and gravelly, "my seed shoots up to her insides and could take root in her stomach. That is how life begins. That's why I make you drink the tea."

Now that she knew what was involved, the idea of having his child, of him violently planting it inside her, made her cringe in fear. If she hadn't been tied up, she liked to think she would have tried to run away, but the truth was their act of coupling had so captivated her that she had even forgotten she was a slave.

Close, so close to his climax, Inuyasha looked at the concentrated expression on Kagome's face. What an eager student. A naked, eager student. Knowing what he needed to push him over the edge, he grabbed for her and brought her face to his, his hand behind her neck. Before she knew what was happening, he pressed his lips to hers, thrusting his tongue into her gasping mouth. With a moan, it was suddenly over, and he spilled himself inside Sango, keeping his mouth on his slave's the entire time, the kiss going from frenzied to exploring, sucking on her pink candy lips.

With a small scream, Kagome finally pulled herself away, flinging herself as far as she could from the still attached couple. Her heart was beating faster than it had even on the run from Higurashi, and her lips were pulsing along with it.

Her first kiss.

Such a man had given her her very first kiss.

And while doing such a thing!

She wanted to cover her mouth, to rub away the shame, the brand of his saliva, the warmth that still radiated, but her hands were still tied behind her, bending her body in a way that displayed her, that thrust her breasts with her suddenly aching hard nipples out in front.

Inuyasha laughed and disengaged himself from Sango, sitting back on his heels. A kiss had unsettled her to that degree. She almost looked concussed. How had something as small as that shaken her up and not when he had been fooling around with her pussy and spanking her on the carriage ride over? He supposed the adrenaline was a factor. And she probably hadn't even known what was happening before. But now she knew. He'd seen to that.

"Come here, bitch."

To her horror and astonishment, the body that she'd thought to be almost thoroughly immobile found a way to humiliate her further. Like a worm, she inched along the ground, dragging herself using muscles she didn't even know she had until she was kneeling in front of her captor, mouth wide open like an eager dog waiting for a treat.

Kagome expected it to end there. She expected him to be satisfied with embarrassing her.

Inuyasha stared at her for a second, as though considering, and without even a change in his expression to warn her, forced his cock inside her mouth.

She wanted to scream, wanted to run, but she couldn't. Her body wouldn't. Practically vibrating with the force of his command and her lingering arousal and her desperate need to get away, she felt like she would pass out or explode or both.

"Clean my cock, _bitch_."

Kagome wouldn't cry. It would only make him laugh at her and torture her worse. And there was Kikyo's plan. She couldn't ruin Kikyo's plan after she'd already unknowingly performed the greatest betrayal and gotten them both into this awful situation. There was only one thing she could do.

Obey.

So she tried to distract herself, to fill her head with words so she wouldn't hear the taunting ones he would undoubtedly throw at her. His slimy thing was hot in her mouth, burning hot, and it moved inside her. Salty and foul. She tried to think of cotton candy, to think of Hojo, who would never have done this to her. But the reality was too frightening and therefore strong, her mind was too present to fly away somewhere nice and comforting.

Completely oblivious to the panic of the girl sucking his dick, Inuyasha was enjoying the sight of her humbling herself and performing what would soon become a regular duty of hers. By the end of the night, she'd be cleaning her own virgin blood and juices off his cock. The triumph was exhilarating. It was like winning the war all over again.

"No teeth, _bitch_. Just put that big mouth of yours to good use for once."

Something snapped in Kagome at that. There was no need for him to use the word on her again. Wasn't she already obeying? Hadn't she already lowered herself enough? Against her will, she looked up and met his eyes, saw his smirking contentment.

Kagome bit down until her canines touched.

The world was chaos after that. Someone, she supposed it was Sango since she didn't think Inuyasha would have been so gentle as to merely throw her hard against the wall insteasd of through it, removed her from her prey. There was screaming, she thought she heard Sango crying. Maybe a guard tried to come into the room, maybe not, but there were footsteps and someone knocked on the door, yelling for the prince.

"You _fucking_ —" he roared, cutting himself off. It was obvious what he was going to say, what he had not been able to say.

Kagome just smiled, licking his blood from her lips. _That_ she would swallow willingly.

Already, the blood had stopped flowing and he was almost entirely well again. It had been a brief victory, but she knew she would have done it a thousand times over given the chance. Inuyasha was glaring at her, murder in his eyes as his devoted shadow tried to wipe his cock clean of blood and slave spit.

"You—" His eye twitched and she could see his fingers flexing. He lied. He did want to hurt her. Badly. "You fucking cunt."

The slave just stayed tied on the ground, more comfortable there than she had been submitting to him. Inuyasha was beyond mad. Nothing like this had ever happened to him before, and to have a fucking slave, a fucking Higurashi slave, inflict harm on him not once, not twice, but how many times now? Fuck, he'd have trouble admitting to one, but he'd lost track of how many times she'd drawn blood. Bitterly, he recounted how the first time she'd wounded him had been before he'd even bought her. It was what made him sure he would buy her no matter the price.

Inuyasha had bought her in order to punish her.

It was important to keep that in mind. While he wanted—desperately—to have the two sisters become his willing whores, that was obviously going to take some more time, at least with the younger one. Soon, he'd pay a visit to the older one, see how she was faring, if she'd decided to stop being an ice queen yet. Maybe tell her about her sister's rebellions. Perhaps that would bring some life to her eyes.

"Hit her, Sango. With a fist."

"Yes, my prince." It was obvious from her voice that she would have done so even if he had not commanded it.

Even though Kagome had braced herself for it, had expected it, she still couldn't hold back the cry of pain that left her when the slayer's knuckles met her face. But she wouldn't cry, she promised herself, promised the image of Kikyo she held in her mind. She was done crying. The dog grabbed her by the collar and she was so spent from everything that she couldn't even muster the energy to spit in his stupid face.

And he untied her.

That was the most confusing thing he could have done. Kagome didn't know how to respond. Should she thank him? Was he expecting her to try and run again? What was going on? But before her mind could settle on any of the options that went running through her brain, he encircled her neck with a single hand, putting pressure on her throat, cutting her air off. A wave of some sort of power ran through her and she shuddered not altogether unpleasantly.

"Time for you to listen, bitch."

At the hated word, she assumed the position, and it was so, so hard to keep her promise and not cry.

Inuyasha crossed his arms and glared at her, forcing a smirk on his face when all he wanted to do was what he always promised himself he wouldn't and make her beg for him to stop, to be merciful.

"I've tweaked your collar a little. From now on, you can't leave the position until I decide you can. So you won't be moving from that spot until I have a break in my very busy schedule and I remember that you're down here rotting away, longing to apologize."

A groan of distress was the only thing she could communicate.

"Good," he murmured. "You finally understand. Unlike your last cell, here you will be surrounded by luxury, or at least what would pass for luxury in a shithole like Higurashi, but you won't be able to enjoy any of it. Not until you make it up to me, and it's gonna have to be something really good for me to forgive your previous actions."

The slave looked at him pleadingly, but that stubbornness still lurked within the blue flame of her iris. What a brat, he thought, ignoring the unintelligible sounds she made as he left the room with Sango. She thought she could get anything she wanted just by fluttering her eyelashes and saying please. The bitch must have been the worst fucking maid in the world.

"We'll come back tomorrow," he said as soon as they were on the steps leading them out of the dungeon. "A night like that should put her in a more agreeable mood."

"Whatever you say." Sango thought they should just abandon the girl in a brothel. Then she'd see what was truly to be feared.

"Don't be like that. You know the difficult ones are always the best in the end."

What did that make her, Sango wondered, she who had given in to him practically the first time they were alone together.

 **O\o/O**

As always, she was picking flowers. It wasn't that it was her favorite pastime or anything (she much preferred reading fairy stories and embroidery), it was just that it was one of the only places in the entirety of the palace that she was allowed to be alone and free, largely unobserved by anyone but her lord.

Just as the thought of her lord occurred to her, she felt a presence behind her. Was he visiting her so early? What a rare treat!

Instead of her lord standing there, it was the empress.

There was a new face among her ladies in waiting, and the empress was chatting with her, giving her a tour. Many people liked to view the gardens, but they could only fully enter them at the express invitation of the crown prince.

"This is perhaps the most beautiful thing in the entirety of Inu," InuKimi said, fangs glinting in her smile. "Other than the queen, of course."

The new lady in waiting was soaking up the scenery eagerly. "Just seeing this beauty soothes my soul."

"Indeed. After all, it is the work of my son. Sesshomaru is poised to be the greatest emperor in Inu history. There is nothing he can't accomplish."

Rin nodded enthusiastically, not caring she wasn't part of the conversation. Anything to do with her lord was important to her, and if someone was praising him, she could only join in. Unfortunately, the movement brought her to their attention.

InuKimi glanced at her sharply and she immediately cringed as though struck. Rin didn't remember much of her old life before her lord had given her a new one, but what stuck with her from those times was what it was like to be hurt. That animal look in the empress' eyes was a familiar one, one that spoke loudly of wanting to cause harm. Inukimi wasn't quick enough to hide that look from someone who knew it as well as Rin did. The girl fixed a smile on her face anyway. It was made easier by the realization that the empress had never looked more like a dog than right at that moment, though a guard dog about to turn on its owner's favorite pet rabbit.

Rising to her feet as gracefully as she could, Rin bowed at the waist to the empress and her companions, a form of respect she had never even shown her lord. InuKimi whipped her fan out from her sleeve and fluttered it rapidly, tittering.

"Just like a real lady. Isn't it marvelous?"

The new girl smiled kindly at Rin. "What is your family name, my lady? I thought I did my research and knew everyone; I apologize."

The bold smile stayed fixed on her face and she was proud that it didn't even tremble at the corners. "I have none."

The lady in waiting was very obviously confused, for who didn't have a family name and yet dressed in such finery, freely walking and lingering about one of the most exclusive parts of the emperor's own palace?

"My dear, you mustn't address her as 'lady' anything. She is just called Rin. My son is very cruel, I fear. He finds it amusing to dress a common-born orphan like a princess and parade her in front of the court." The mocking gleam never left her eye, but now it mingled with pride. "This form of brutality demonstrates he will be a most fearsome emperor, and so I allow it. Now come along, my lovely daughter-in-law is waiting with tea."

Now that the lady in waiting, most likely some princess from a conquered kingdom given in tribute, herself little more than a pampered hostage, knew she was no one worth knowing, she didn't spare her another look, trotting along and chatting merrily with the empress and the other ladies.

Rin was furniture.

Worse than furniture, she was the dirt in the garden. Surrounded by beautiful things and continually trampled on by them, flowers sticking their raping roots inside her and sucking out everything beautiful that lived within herself, everything she had worth giving, everything she wanted to give to—

"How can there be this level of gloom in such a paradise?"

Shocked, Rin turned around. She hadn't sensed anyone's presence, and she was always very attuned to that sort of thing. She had to be to survive. You could take the orphan out of the woods, but you couldn't take the woods out of the orphan.

Turning pale as she realized who it was that had addressed her, she bowed to Naraku, her lord's father-in-law, Kagura's powerful father.

Rin didn't know much about the man, only that he annoyed her lord and had risen to a very powerful position in an appallingly short time. And his daughter hated him more than anyone, even more than her. The orphan girl had never spoken to him, she had only seen him from afar, and still he frightened her.

He continued, "InuKimi is so horrible to you, my dear."

Too shocked to respond at first, she just gaped at him. He had dared to use the empress' given name! Calming herself internally, she supposed that since she was ignorant of court matters, perhaps he was of a station even higher than she had thought and had somehow earned that privilege. After all, he would be the grandfather of the next king. That is, if Sesshomaru and Kagura's union bore fruit one of these days.

"The glorious empress has been more than generous with one such as I, my lord," she said quaveringly. "Only her son is more magnanimous than she."

Naraku picked one of the flowers she had been toying with before her humiliation. "Is it generosity to give a life to one whose natural life they ruined? You are not the debtor, my dear. _They_ are."

Outrage finally enabled her to look him straight in his bloodless, narrow face. "My lord saved me. Someone of his stature deigned to worry about a feral starving orphan girl whose people defied him when he himself was dying. I am proud to serve him."

The emperor's most trusted advisor merely smirked. "You would not have been orphaned at all had the Inu not been so concentrated on their needless expansion."

Rin paused. She had never thought of it like that, and therefore had nothing to say in response. Her father and seven brothers had all died in the wars, every one of them, even Haruto, who had been only two years her senior. It had never occurred to her to resent the Inu for it. Like Sesshomaru told her, the Inu did not conquer simply to conquer. They expanded their borders to bring knowledge and equality to the rest of the world. Tribute and glory in war had nothing to do with it.

"You're thinking it would be better for other kingdoms to be under Inu rule than their own, aren't you?" He laughed, and the sound made the sun feel far away, even as high as they were in the clouds. "A pity. You've been thoroughly brainwashed. But would it really be better for your mother to be dead under Inu rule than alive under your own king's?"

"My lord is waiting. I must go. It is time to dress for dinner." Her words came out stilted, hollow. Like she was in a dream.

That smirk again. "If you ever get tired of being between worlds, commoner princess, then tell my daughter you wish to pay me a greeting. I know well how you two are...close."

And he vanished. Just like that. Dark tendrils of smoke that smelled like a crypt flew past her and back into the palace.

Rin continued to stand there in the garden. The flowers looked harsh now, no longer her familiar happy friends. She dropped the few she had secreted away in a pocket of her dress. She had intended to use them for her lord's table tonight, something she always did.

The garden had been violated.

The last pure place she could go to had been defiled.

All she could do was stare at the fallen flowers.

"Why are you lingering here, Rin? You have made me wait altogether too long already."

Rin blinked for what felt like the first time in hours. Had it been hours? It must be, since her lord was here now. How had she not felt his arrival? It was a great source of pride for her that she always knew when her lord was nearby. It occurred to her that she had been violated, too, in a new and different way.

Somehow, she found a smile. "I'm sorry, my lord. The flowers are so... They were so beautiful today."

He saw through her attempt at hiding her anguish immediately. Golden eyes boring into her own, he cupped her face with his only hand, his precious hand. She shivered, trying to force away the feelings that had been assaulting her more often at late. Sometimes, the way he looked at her made her... Well, it was distracting.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, my lord! I am sorry to have kept you waiting. You must be starving." There was no helping it. Her voice was too cheerful, even for her.

His brow furrowed. "It was Mother, wasn't it? What did she say to you this time?"

Rin couldn't hide from him, not her wonderful lord. Putting her hand over his, she smiled, showing him a glimpse of her sorrow. "No matter what, my lord, I am grateful to be here. Please, I don't think I can eat too much, but I am hungry to hear about your day."

Sesshomaru gave her one last thorough look before he wiped the worry off his face. Taking her by the arm, just like he would a real lady, just like he never did with his wife, he led her to his private dining room. Warmth reentered her soul little by little and she leaned into him, her head on his arm, knowing she would have to wait until later to cry since his gaze was still sharp on her face, though this time in bits of glances. He spoke normally to her even though he knew something was very, very wrong.

 **Note: HOLY CRAP I AM SO DAMN SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG. I honestly intended to update in October, but that just didn't work, and then I was like "surely by Christmas! And with a special Christmas one shot too!" But NOPE (I'm saving it for this year, 2018). And then I was like "before I go back to school, I'll definitely update", but you guessed it, NOPE. And then I arrived here in lovely** **Österreich** **and I was like finally, I can breathe again and I don't have my family demanding every second of my time and I have a few days before the semester starts and I can finish up that chapter and I FORGOT MY FUCKING LAPTOP CHARGER. I am so mad at me. But here we are. Updates will be probably nonexistent until summer because I'm still working on my thesis; I just wanted to assure you all that I'm still alive and there's still so much left to this story and it will be awesome and I'm so glad you're on this journey with me. That said, if this sounds rushed, that's because it is.**

 **And if any of you are Austrian (I do get a few readers from there occasionally, or maybe it's just people traveling or using their VPN), I love you and I'm grateful to be hosted here in this beautiful fairytale country of yours and I promise I won't overstay my visa and be all sneaky and live here even though I kinda wanna (and I would if you guys didn't put corn on pizza like wtf).**

 **Also, Strictly Taboo has passed 100k views. HUZZAH! I didn't even notice, fam, and now we're on our way to 150k. STARTED FROM THE BOTTOM AND NOW WE'RE KINDA STILL AT THE BOTTOM BUT IT'S OKAY 'CAUSE WE'RE TOGETHER HERE!**


	8. Better an Ignus Fatuus

**Eight: Better an Ignus Fatuus**

Inuyasha was torn between going straight to the slave's cell or first working out some of his extra aggression in the training room. Because what if she continued to turn him down and he was stuck with a raging erection again? He didn't really think it would take too much longer to bring her around, especially after having spent the night on her knees with her jaw wide open for a phantom cock, but she had surprised him so far and it wouldn't be out of character for her to continue to do so. Just the way her pink little mouth would twist in disgust when she was forced to meet his eyes got him hard. Why? He didn't know and didn't feel like examining it. All he knew was that he was desperate to be inside her and in his present condition didn't trust himself to remain as much a gentleman as he had been to her so far.

Maybe his lovely sister-in-law could help him out.

Kagura was sometimes half-crazy and sometimes almost normal. It all depended on how much opium she'd partaken of that particular day and what was going on in her brain. She hadn't always been like that, however. Years ago, back when she and Sesshomaru had first been married, she was beautiful and smart with a good heart, though outwardly selfish and spoiled as women of her station inevitably were. All the court had been vying for her hand due to those qualities and her father's recent ascent to a prominent position. Unfortunately for her, she possessed the very human trait of wanting what she knew she could never truly have, and so she was completely in love with Sesshomaru.

It hadn't taken her very long to realize that the crown prince was emotionally unavailable as well as a complete prude. After the first couple weeks of their marriage, she'd come looking for the other prince.

Inuyasha hadn't given Kagura much thought other than absentmindedly realizing she was built like a whore even though she dressed like a lady. So when she'd shown up to watch him practice his swordsmanship in the training room, wafting the scent of her arousal his way, he was shocked, but more than a little turned on.

"Wait outside the room, Sango," he'd told his shadow with a grin. "I'm about to get back at Sesshomaru for calling you a 'muscular insect'."

Ever since that first time, he'd been fucking his sister-in-law on a regular basis, even after she had started to drug herself into a never-ending dream, though it became more out of a fondness for her than anything else.

Present-day Inuyasha rapped on her door three times rapidly and then a pause before knocking again twice. Their secret code. Not that they ever needed it. Everyone knew, anyway, and it wasn't like she didn't do the exact same thing with every willing and able male in the palace anyway.

It took her a while to open the door, but when she did, she was completely naked. Inuyasha privately thanked himself for thinking up this option instead of just working out. Unlike a human, her body showed no signs of her drug abuse other than her perpetually shrunken pupils. Her breasts were still full and plump, her ass was still perfect, her skin was still smooth.

"I was wondering if you'd deign to pay me a visit while you were home," she drawled, closing the door behind him.

His hands were already all over her, squeezing her ass and drawing her close to him. "How could I ignore my favorite sister-in-law?"

She snorted. "You've been here for nearly two weeks and only just now came here. Save your lies for someone who will believe them."

Inuyasha sighed. So that's how it was going to be. Walking over to the bed, he sat down and slipped off his shoes. "Sorry. I got a couple new slaves and it's been hectic."

Kneeling before him so easily, so unlike one of his slaves, Kagura undid his breeches. "The Higurashi ones? How's that been going?"

He groaned as she took him in her mouth. Through slitted eyes, he saw the streaks of lipstick she was leaving on his cock, her dark head bobbing up and down. On a sudden impulse, he pulled her hair free of its bun. Waves. Just like hers, though not as relaxed, not as free.

"One is already broken. Happened before I bought her. The other is… She's a complete fucking nightmare." Kagura took him down her throat and he threaded his fingers through her hair, just barely keeping from calling out the slave's name. "A beautiful nightmare of a headache."

Her head drew up and she sucked the head of his cock before leaving it, a strand of spit connecting her lips to him. "You know about your marriage, correct? They're going to pick a girl for you if you don't hurry up and do it yourself."

Snorting at the reminder, he said, "Yeah, yeah, I fucking know already."

"So why don't you just pick Sango? I'm sure they'd allow it if it's you."

Inuyasha was honestly shocked at her suggestion. His shadow? "Sango's not of noble blood. Her people are servants and can never hold a rank like that because of their past crimes. Anyway, she's supposed to marry someone of her tribe and make more little slayers."

She raised one brow. "And are you okay with that?"

It wasn't like he hadn't thought it over already a ton of times. "Yeah. I mean, it'll be weird not seeing her and talking to her every day after her dismissal, but we always knew that was how it had to be."

Kagura smirked. "Does Sango know that's how you feel?"

Inuyasha ignored her. "How should I deal with my slave?"

A swift wind took him by surprise and pushed him on his back. Kagura straddled him, sinking down on his waiting cock and enveloping him in her always tight pussy.

"The nightmare one?"

He nodded, watching her work his pole with routine movements that still had enough skill to arouse. At least she didn't act like this was anything other than what it was.

"Flog her pussy."

His hands flew to her hips and he began to raise his own, suddenly unbearably close.

"But she's never been fucked before," he gasped. "Never even been touched before."

Now Kagura was feeling it as well. Cupping her generous breasts, she began to squeeze them together, putting on a little show for him, her red gaze clashing with his darkened golden one. Her fingers pinched and pulled at her nipples and her pussy tightened around him.

"Imagine how wet she'll get, Inuyasha. Her virgin pussy dripping for you, her glistening wet cherry so ready for your cock that she'll beg for it, beg you to stick it in her."

When he came, he was lost in that picture she painted for him, his mind so full of that image of Kagome, a helplessly bound slave with a pussy freshly pinkened by the flogger, wet and crying for him to relieve her, to satisfy her. For a second, it was so real that he could almost hear her voice telling him not that she hated him but that she wanted him.

Kagura disengaged herself from him and rolled over on her side, facing away from the half-demon. "There's a full basin in the bathing room. Clean yourself quickly and get out."

It was obvious she'd taken very little, if any, pleasure from their coupling. Why she'd done it at all remained a mystery to him. Maybe if he were a different sort of person in different circumstances then he'd take the time to figure out why, maybe even try talking to her, but with how violently emotional she could get, especially when she reeked of poppy as she did, he didn't even want to try anymore. So he just did as she commanded him to do and left as quickly as he'd come.

Tracking down Sango was easy enough as she was never far from him, even when he was with other women. Technically, she should be with him at all times, acting like a shadow as her title implied, but the rules were a little relaxed with the two of them. She knew that he hated feeling smothered like that and his parents knew that it also made him feel weak, so no one complained if they were briefly apart here and there.

Sango took one look at him and wrinkled her nose. "Kagura? Really?"

He shrugged. "We're about to go to the dungeon. I didn't want to get too worked up with her."

The two of them walked together, their steps matching. "You could have just come to me, you know." She said it teasingly, but he could hear the hurt behind her words.

"My genius sister-in-law gave me an idea. Go get the flogger and some ropes and meet me down there."

Sango did as ordered, her face questioning but her body obeying.

After telling the guard to turn off the observation orb, he descended to the slave's room, skin prickling with anticipation. For however short a time, he and his slave were going to be alone together.

Suddenly, he realized that fooling around with Kagura may not have been enough.

 **O\o/O**

Tears of relief sprang to Kagome's eyes when she saw that awful dog come through the cell door. Her jaw hurt and her knees were aching and she was so cold and thirsty and she needed a chamber pot badly. The dog looked surprised when he saw her, and at first she thought it was because of her tears, that he finally felt like he had done something bad and realized he couldn't treat another thinking, feeling being that way.

"Oh shit, I forgot I left you like that."

With the barest of touches of his fingers to her collar, she was free, and she immediately collapsed to the ground, no longer held up by supernatural force. Her entire body hurt and she was so exhausted, so very tired, that even the bare rug felt like the most comfortable of beds to her.

Rough hands gave her unwanted touches all over her body and she tensed anew. It didn't occur to her that he was trying to warm her up and massage away her rigidity from kneeling all night. The bastard just wanted to touch her, to gain any satisfaction he could from her weakened body. Kagome hardly cared. She was too tired to fight. After an entire night spent on her knees, jaw held open so wide it hurt, tears and her own mucus falling into her mouth, she just wanted to be left alone to sleep and wait for her sister to get them out of this hell and back to Higurashi.

A sharp blow to her bottom made her yelp and she scrambled away from the pain. Shooting a glare and praying to the goddess that death would come at last to all dogs, she soon lost her anger to a wave of fear.

The dog was holding a whip. Smirking at her wide eyes, he nodded at Sango. "Tie her down." Turning back to Kagome, he said, "Make it easy on yourself and don't do anything stupid this time."

His words made her do the exact opposite of what he said and she was proud of how she made Sango curse under her breath. Tired though she was, Kagome fought. Maybe not as hard as she desperately could, but it was mostly out of principle this time. After all, she couldn't escape before Kikyo's unknown plan was put into action. She didn't want to ruin anything this time.

Once she was all tied up, this time in satin instead of that horrid rope from before, she allowed herself to relax. As much as she could, anyway. Lying prone on the floor, tied so that her legs were spread and her knees were up by her chest, she was humiliatingly exposed. Trying to calm herself down so that she would not struggle and hurt herself and panic, she told herself maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Nothing could be as bad as how he'd left her the entire night. Maybe they would just perform those acts on one another in front of her again and then she could take a nap or something.

Hells, she was so wrong.

With one light flick of his wrist, the ends of the whip went sailing straight between her legs to her most delicate parts and she screamed. It wasn't until after she'd finished screaming that she realized it didn't really hurt, not too much, anyway. It _stung_ , but it wasn't terrible.

"You picked well, Sango. Nice and soft. Perfect for teasing. Perfect for my virgin here."

"I'm not yours!" Kagome yelled, wishing the dog was close enough so she could bite him again.

He raised a brow. "I literally have you tied up in my basement like a load of vegetables from market. You're as mine as it can get."

She didn't quite know how to respond to that, but was saved from verbally sparring with him by another flick of the whip between her legs. This time she only gasped. What the hell was he trying to accomplish with this nonsense?

"I'm not sure if I like this better than just taking you over my knee the old-fashioned way," he murmured mostly to himself before striking her again. "This is a beautiful view, but I think it would be fun to have you squirming in my lap." Five rapid hits to her very sensitive exposed parts had her on the verge of tears.

"Stop it! Why can't you just leave me alone?"

Dragging the thin strips of leather over her reddened skin and up along her stomach, he stopped just below her breasts, watching how she shivered. To her complete shame and horror, her nipples hardened at his approach and the touch of the leather, and she wasn't the only one who noticed. It wasn't her fault if it felt a little good. That's what he was trying to do. He was trying to make her weak and he knew exactly how to do it. But she wasn't going to give in. Her virginity was all she had left with which to spite him.

Dangling the whip above her breasts, the leather strips were nearly touching her yearning nipples and Kagome found her back arching without her consent in a bid for that small pleasure of stimulation. Just as she was about to make contact, Inuyasha raised his arm and brought the whip down on both her breasts hard, hard enough for her to cry out as though it were the first time she'd ever been hit. She was more surprised than hurt. Kagome cursed herself for being caught off-guard by something entirely predictable. The dog liked to hurt. He "bought" her in order to hurt her.

"I can't leave you alone," he admitted, following it up with another whack to her chest. "I like the way you play my game." _Whack_! She whimpered in pain. "I like the sounds you make." Again, he hit her and she tried to swallow any noise. "I like the way you smell." Another blow, and what was that he just said? "And I'm _really_ gonna like fucking you."

His nose twitched and his arm paused halfway to striking her. Instead, he tossed the whip to Sango and knelt between her spread legs.

"That was fast," he smirked.

Kagome felt her face somehow redden further than the bright red she knew it had to be since he'd started in on her.

"I d-don't know what you're talking about. Release me and leave me here alone to rot!" Her voice was high and panicked instead of the commanding Kikyo-like tone she longed for. Him being so very close to her, right _there_ as he was, right after he had said and done such indecent things to her, was making her feel very strange.

"That's not gonna work." He tapped his nose. "This can tell when you're lying to me."

Oh gods, she had forgotten what Kikyo had told her about demons being able to sense lies. But that didn't mean she had to tell him the truth. That for whatever reason she was having some of the same feelings she'd had when watching him and his guard together and that even though he was hurting her the way he was hurting her excited her almost the way she used to be excited when they received a traveler at court, but in a deeper and more physical way she'd never experienced before.

His face lowered and his loathsome golden eyes were fixated at the very hot place between her legs.

"Please leave me alone," she choked, her begging hardly more than a whisper.

"What kind of master would I be if I left a pussy as pretty and hungry as yours unfulfilled?"

Out of nowhere, the tip of his tongue ran along the bare flesh of the last sacred thing she possessed and a burning fire awakened inside of her, roaring to life and turning her blood into magma.

"Goddess!" She had called upon the supreme deity out loud and she wasn't sure why. A prayer for strength? Out of fear? But though she was bound and with the enemy that had destroyed her homeland, she felt neither weak nor frightened. All she felt was unbearably hot and tingly.

"Forget that, Kagome. Only I can give you what you want now." The breath from his words puffed against her sensitive skin and she felt muscles she didn't even know she had jump. "Say you want it, and I'll give it to you." His fingers traced the insides of her thighs and she couldn't even squeeze them together or kick out at him. She could only feel herself grow even wetter in her pussy and have those juices run down her bottom and to the dungeon floor, the sensation arousing her further.

When she did nothing but whimper, his fingers ventured higher and a single claw brushed against the center of her longing and came back dripping wet. Looking her in the eye, Inuyasha brought the finger dipped in the evidence of her worst betrayal yet to his mouth, making a sound of enjoyment at her taste. Kagome reacted to the sight as though his mouth was on her own body instead and moaned in a combination of dread and desire. Yes, she wanted him to do to her what he had done to Sango, only she wanted it to go on for longer and over and over and over again.

"Ask me to fuck you and I'll do it," he purred, crawling over her so they were nearly nose to nose. In this position, it would be especially easy…

Kagome tried to close her eyes and block him out but all that did was bring vivid images of herself in Sango's place beneath him as they were that night they had performed sex on each other in front of her.

He continued, "I'll make you feel so good. Then I'll take you out of this room and give you a place fit for a princess." She gasped at both the word and the feel of his lips brushing against her cheek. "You can have everything you want. You can spend every day with your sister and every night with me." His lips went to her jaw and she craned her neck, unsure of whether she was trying to get away or trying to get him to kiss her in more sensitive places. "Tell me, Kagome."

The heat of his body was overwhelming her and she couldn't think anymore between his nearness and her own insufferable torment. Why not? It wasn't as wrong if she wanted it, too. And then she could be with Kikyo again.

"I…" she whispered shakily. He urged her on with an eager kiss to her throat. The sound of him undoing his belt made another rush of heat spark throughout her body and she whimpered. "I want—"

A knock to the door had her go entirely stiff and suddenly she was alone on the floor with a furious half-demon standing above her.

The spell was broken.

The dog nearly ripped the door off its hinges. "What the fuck do you want?" he growled.

The guard standing there was pale and shaky and it appeared as though it had taken everything in him to even make it this far.

"My deepest apologies, my lord, but your brother summons you with orders from the emperor himself."

Inuyasha glanced back at her and then at the whip in his shadow's hand. "Fuck," he hissed. "Fine. I'm going now." Already out of the room, he didn't look at Sango when he ordered her, "Leave her tied. We'll be back soon enough."

"No!" Kagome screeched. After a whole night of pain and then this new agony that had awakened her own demon inside her, she could not bear to be restricted again. "Don't you dare leave me bound again, you bastard!"

He turned and smirked at her. "Save some of that fire for later, princess. I'll be back so soon you'll barely have time to miss me."

Her scream of rage echoed in the empty room. Powered by pure fury, Kagome tugged at her bonds with a force that would have frightened her under normal circumstances. Without care for her own safety she kicked and punched and pulled and stretched, struggling to break free and scream the door down and find that bastard and pay him back for what he had done to her. By the time her sleepless night caught up with her and she was left limp and gasping, she lay on her stomach covered in sweat, entirely defeated and somehow even more securely tangled in the ropes than she had been at the start.

Deprived of her dignity, the dog's voice calling her "princess" resounded inside her head and she learned to hate until it hurt.

 **O\o/O**

Inuyasha threw open the door to his brother's office so hard that the knob banged into the wooden wall covered in fine murals and tore a hole through it. Good. Let that asshole know what it was like for someone else to come in and ruin something he prized.

To the half-demon's immense disappointment, Sesshomaru didn't even flinch.

"As clumsy and uncoordinated as ever," he minced, flipping through some ancient tome. "I suppose your display of brute strength means I've gone and interrupted one of your whore-training sessions. How dreadful of me."

"What do you want, idiot? I've got a girl waiting for me. I know you don't know what that's like, but I'm in a fucking hurry."

"Father is dispatching you to the East. You're to leave at once."

Inuyasha felt his body go completely cold and then hot at the shock. "What? What the fuck for!?" Field assignments were never on such short notice and they were always delivered directly by his father. "I'm gonna go see the old man right now."

"I last saw Father a mere twenty minutes ago. Your mother had him blindfolded on a leash in some of her more risqué lingerie. Something tells me he does not want to be disturbed."

With a groan, he leaned back against the wall he'd just damaged. He could definitely understand not wanting to give out orders at a time like that, and it was unclear whether his mother or his father was the one in the lingerie, but why now? This was just the worst luck.

Inuyasha shrugged. "I ain't going. Do it yourself."

Both his brother and Sango showed surprise on their faces, which was extremely rare for the two of them.

"You were not supposed to find out the details of this mission until you met up with your unit in Higurashi lest listening ears turn into whispering lips, but there have been credible sightings of a group seen fleeing the castle ruins that contains the escaped queen and princess. We need someone we can trust directly involved in this, and it can be no one but you."

Though it stoked the flames of his ego to have his prick of a brother admit he was necessary, Inuyasha merely shrugged again.

"I told ya, I ain't going."

It seemed like the older demon was doing everything he could to avoid the indignity of rolling his eyes like the teenage girl he spent most of his time with.

"If you don't leave at once, I will order the entirety of your harem be sent to the worst brothels in the land where every petty thief and drug addict will get their hands on and in the prince's women."

The two siblings stared each other down long enough that Sango began to fidget uncomfortably. Should they begin to fight, she'd have to make sure it didn't go too far, and she was not looking forward to interrupting the emperor during his time with Izayoi. The emperor would understand, but the queen would not be fun to deal with after that.

"Keh. Fine. Whatever."

And that was that.

Inuyasha cursed under his breath on his way down to the dungeon. His shadow matched his steps, glancing at him worriedly.

"Why were you so reluctant to go back out in the field? You hate being here."

"Yeah, but how can I leave a slave at such a crucial point in her training? She was just about to give in. The idiot's so stubborn that if I leave now, she'll reset and I'll lose all the progress we've made."

Sango almost laughed aloud. "Do you honestly think there's been any progress?"

He snorted. "I know there's been. You didn't see what I saw in her eyes. She was going to tell me she wanted it but then that asshole ruined everything." Approaching the door, he said, "Grab some extra blankets from the other rooms. Nice ones. I won't allow her any heating, but she should get warmed up. And a jug of water, too."

Doing as he asked, she returned to find him still standing outside the door, staring pensively. "Are you going to try and woo her now?" she asked sarcastically.

"Shut up. I'm just going to let her sleep in the bed and have better meals and baths and stuff while I'm gone. She thinks I'm a monster right now. Usually the fear works for me but it's just making things worse this time."

Sango wasn't sure whether she was pleasantly surprised or disturbed by this change. It was true that normally the slaves gave in by now and that none of them were as rebellious as this particular one was, but there were other things he wasn't taking into consideration.

None of the other ones were from Higurashi.

Higurashi was a very…unique…place. An established kingdom like the others, it was nevertheless tiny, and rather than make any real alliances, they kept to themselves and warred with the remaining human tribes in the region, tribes which were left alone by the other kingdoms and viewed as made up of strange beast-like uncivilized creatures that should be kept away and left alone. Higurashi folk were interesting and mysterious to the more intellectual, but mostly everyone else thought of them as a bunch of inbred freaks. Their friendship with Hekigan, which had grown stronger with the arranged marriage of the crown prince, wasn't exactly helping that view.

But she had seen and experienced Higurashi and its people firsthand. Though she dared not admit it to anyone, they reminded her of her own people. Their lives were completely centered around fighting, to the point where even female children were taught to handle a weapon. Since little had been known about Higurashi beforehand and what was known came from the distant past as well as a source that she considered the peak of unreliability, this had made conquering them all the more difficult. While the Inu had officially declared victory when the queen had abandoned her own people, the people they sought to conquer refused to believe it and still fought in her name.

Even some no-name maid was going to pose more of a problem than anyone in Inu, and the sooner the prince understood that, the better.

Inuyasha reluctantly opened the door. Fuck, but he hated to leave when they had been so close. It was more than just starting her training over from scratch. Something about this girl just made him respond in ways he never had before. Maybe it was the fact that she was different because she was from Higurashi. Foreign and wild but with a beauty too pure for either her home or Inu. Or maybe it was the fact that she was completely crazy in a way that in turn drove him crazy. Whatever it was, she was different and he wasn't sure whether he liked it or hated it. He only knew that he wanted more.

Seeing her tied up on her stomach stirred something in him and he wondered if he could get away with leaving an hour late. But no, that glare she was giving him said it wouldn't be easy, not that he ever wanted it to be, and he'd have better luck seducing a fucking tiger.

Quickly, he untied her, cutting the expensive silk with an urgency he was surprised he felt. Once he was done, she sprang free, yanking the water jug from Sango and gulping it down. It would have been disgusting to watch if he were in his right mind, but as he had been infected by some of her crazy, Inuyasha found himself appreciating the sight of the water that escaped her lips running down her throat and breasts in thin rivulets that highlighted how flawless her skin remained even enslaved.

He waited until she'd finished drinking to say, "I'll be going away for a while." Inuyasha waited for her to ask where or for how long, but she just continued to glare at his feet. "Are you mad because I left you tied up again? It was only for a little this time, and trust me, that's nothing compared to the blue balls you gave me."

Steady glaring.

"I'll probably be gone a long time." In reality, it would only be a day or two. He simply needed to confirm some things and interview witnesses as to the whereabouts of the royal women. If Hekigan was indeed helping them escape, as many theorized, then they were inviting war. The Inu had never intended to go after them, figuring they were doing a fine job of running themselves into the ground on their own, but it could be an interesting diversion for a time. "It's a very dangerous place and a very dangerous mission. Isn't there anything you want to tell me?"

For the love of the gods, he hoped she would offer herself to him upon his return. At least an apology. He'd been more than fair to her. It was ridiculous that she could tempt him even dirty and unbathed as she was with a terrible attitude, but he wasn't lying when he'd said he liked her, even if that wasn't how she'd taken what he was saying as he flogged her. That memory alone was going to make sleeping difficult while he was away.

Slowly, she nodded, raising her summer sky eyes until they met his. "I hope you die."

Inuyasha acted without thinking, blood instantly pounding in his veins until he could hear it.

"Bitch." The command echoed and there was a split second of horror on her face before the spell forced her mouth to open and her knees to bend. He grabbed her jaw hard enough to hurt and bruise, which was easy for someone as soft and untried as she was.

Leaning down close, until his lips brushed against her ear, he reveled in the feeling of her trembling. "If you bite down again, I will crush your bones and no medicine or magic will ever be able to fix you. You will be ugly and even more useless than you are already. Understand? So be a good girl."

Beyond irritated that she had turned a good chance into a punishment, Inuyasha undid his belt yet again and tugged himself from his trousers. All he wanted to do was spend a couple more weeks resting with his new slaves, yet he had to go back out into the nightmare land that had spawned this infuriating little bitch. The first contact of his cock with her mouth made his stomach jump. Whether his muscles remembered what had happened last time or he was just that eager to have her, he didn't know.

Twisting his clawed fingers in her greasy hair, he pushed away the slight disgust at touching such an unclean creature and thrust further into her mouth. The bitch choked but could do nothing about it. That this was not the first time he had violated her mouth, but that he had yet to make any headway where he really wanted to be only pushed him onward, and soon he was both shoving her face onto his cock as well as fucking her face. Inuyasha pushed so far that her nose was grinding into his pubis and he could feel each and every tear that raced down her face, could feel how her frantic puffs of breath moved his hairs.

The little vibrations from her whine of distress did him in and soon he was spraying down her throat. No sooner than he finished did she shove him away from her, eyes blazing with fury. Inuyasha laughed, still a little weak in the knees, and knelt down facing the girl. Cleaning himself off, he studied her out of the corner of his eye. Her cheeks were pink and wet with tears. His cum ran down her chin and neck. For a second, he was tempted to take her with him. But it was impossible. She was too damn crazy.

Grinning lazily, he reached out and tugged on one of her nipples. The first thing he was going to do when he got back would be explore her properly. There was still so much to do. Rubbing the little bud for good luck, he looked her in her blazing blue eyes, gratified he had forced her to make eye contact with him again.

"You shoulda swallowed. My cum's gonna be the only thing you'll get to eat until you tell the guards nicely that you miss me and will greet me at your most eager when I return. Tell them you will earn your keep and be a proper slave, and then you'll be treated like a princess."

Something in her expression shifted subtly and then he was covered in something wet. His nose caught on to it before his brain did, but when he finally fully realized what had happened, he shot to his feet in a rage.

The bitch spat his cum in his face.

Again, she fucking did it again. Inuyasha was beyond pissed off. Not only was he being forced to leave the only time he actually wanted to stay, but this idiot was rejecting any and every of his attempts at helping her. Maybe he should take her to a brothel and show her what her life would have been like if he hadn't bought her. Maybe then she'd be a little fucking grateful and not spit what she should have begged for in his fucking face.

Grabbing her by the collar, he heaved her up off the ground. Inuyasha realized he was choking her again, this time without any pleasure for him, and he did nothing but glare at her coldly.

"You're lucky I'm in a hurry, bi—" He almost said the word. He didn't want that this time. No, this time he was just going to leave her to suffer the consequences of her actions. Once he was done imbuing his will into the collar with his power, he dropped her to the hard ground. "No bed. No blankets. No fire. No food. Not until you tell the guards what I told you to say."

He left before she did something to make him do something he didn't want to do. The bitch had that effect on him.

"Was that really necessary, Inuyasha?" Sango whispered though they were well outside hearing distance of the slave's room. "It was so childish. To even deny her food?"

He shrugged. "I've gotta do something to keep her in line while I'm gone. Tell the guards what I said. I've got to bathe," he finished in a grumble.

 **O\o/O**

Before Naraku was the most trusted advisor of the Emperor of Inu, Toga himself, he was just some throwaway ambassador. Born a half-demon, the only land safe for him was that of Inu, which at the time had recently enacted some more progressive policies due to the emperor taking a human queen and producing a half-breed offspring. Naraku's appointment to his post was entirely a political gesture to prove that they were truly reforming the system, and there was no real importance attached to it.

Being the ambassador to Higurashi was a joke position given mostly to second sons of important noblemen. It involved nothing more than the occasional letter and gift. But Naraku saw this as his chance. Weak and mostly human, the only thing he had to rely on was his craftiness. It was what had delivered him from the band of thieves he had been raised in, his mother being the group whore and himself little more than their dog to use and abuse as they saw fit, to making his fortune as a merchant. It bought him a noble wife, which gave him a title, and she continued to be his ticket into the kind of parties the commoner he had once been could not have even conceived of. Finally, his networking had paid off, and while being the ambassador to a backwoods people was hardly more than a ceremonial position with a fat paycheck, he was going to make sure it was going to be the most valuable position in the court before he was done with it.

"Lowborn though you are, I still cannot believe you are going to Higurashi." His wife spat the name of the tiny kingdom as though it were a curse.

Naraku sighed and directed one of his servants to pack his most ostentatious robes, the ones he thought were too much even for court. Primitive peoples were always impressed by gaudy things, having no real concept of elegance.

"Abi, my dear wife, I have already told you that this visit is an historic occasion. No demon ambassador has been to Higurashi since the treaty was signed by His Imperial Majesty."

She rolled her crimson eyes. "For a reason. Those savages blame us for everything wrong in the world. I heard they kill anyone demonic on sight." Her expression changed until she almost seemed to be smiling, which was ridiculous, as the woman never smiled. "Maybe I shouldn't protest your leaving at all."

Used to it, Naraku merely gathered the expensive gifts he intended to present to the queen and other notables. Normally, he would have a servant or slave take his things, but in the year he had been working on being allowed to visit Higurashi, it had been made abundantly clear that he would only be permitted to set foot inside the hermit nation's borders were he to come alone. They were right to be wary, since the Inu empire was as vast as it was vicious.

"Think of the parties you'll be invited to once it's known that your husband was the first man in history to complete a thorough ethnographic work on the people of Higurashi. Perhaps they will gain my trust and send an ambassador of their own to court." The more he thought about it, the more animated he became. "The exchange of extremely differentiating cultures is something rarely seen in a world as small and close as ours. Higurashi is unique in that it is the only sedentary community of isolationist—"

Abi was halfway out the door. "By all means, go and get yourself killed. Maybe then I can find myself a husband worthy of my blood."

And she was gone.

Naraku willed away the tenseness in his jaw. No man alive would have the bitch but him, and she best watch herself lest he grow tired of her and replace her with something less annoying. The darkness of his own thoughts appalled him. What was happening? Just stress. It was all just stress. He had risen out of the depths of squalor and criminality and had washed away all that remained of that world—or had he? No, he wasn't like them. They were gone. Dead and gone.

Beyond peeved that his bitch wife had stirred memories he preferred to pretend never happened, Naraku started for his carriage. It was a long ride to Higurashi, and he needed to compose himself. This was the chance of a lifetime. Being the man to draw out the famously isolationist people would win him fame and the regard of all. Then he wouldn't just be the token half-demon appointed merely for his race. He would have contributed something none of those haughty full-bloods could ever hope to achieve, and he will have done it without any violence or coercion. A hero. He would be a hero.

The last letter he had received from the royal scribe, dictated by the queen herself, was cold but interested in the possible wealth that an alliance with the Inu rather than a mere truce would bring to the kingdom. In her words, she "did not want her daughter to be merely a jailer, but a true Queen". The way he had written of Inu's human queen Izayoi and how she was the true power in the empire had interested the Higurashi ruler, he could tell. If after his visit here he could somehow gain an audience with Izayoi, she would be his greatest help. He left Inu with high hopes.

Higurashi was much less fascinating and much dirtier than he had been anticipating.

When he arrived in the entirely human kingdom, there was not even so much as a wagon to meet him. The "castle" was his destination and the only real structure in the area, with tiny thatch-roofed cottages clustered around it. And that was it. That was Higurashi. Sure, there was the market square and its collection of businesses, but it was nothing exciting. All in all, it was like a regular little backwoods village…from around five-hundred years ago, give or take.

The streets were deserted, but he could clearly see the faces peering from the glassless windows of the dirt-covered peasant homes. There was no malice, no fear, but no curiosity either. They were not dazzled by his shining robes or bejeweled trunks that he begrudgingly carried himself. If anything, it seemed like they were waiting. Waiting for him to leave.

Women in red and white robes guarded the main entrance to the castle, bows drawn and arrows strung, again waiting. Waiting for him to give them a reason to shoot him dead so they could go back to their comfortable isolation.

Naraku smiled. "I bring gifts for the queen of Higurashi's palace guards from His Imperial Majesty Emperor Toga himself, as well as Empress Inukimi and Queen Izayoi." Slowly, carefully, he opened the largest trunk and allowed the guards to gaze on the rare berries sacred to their gods that only grew once every other year in Higurashi but year-round in the greenhouses of Inu. The women gasped at what must seem to them a miracle, withdrawing their bows and bowing their heads in thanks for the gift. Still, when they met his eyes again, their expressions were hard and blank.

"You may pay tribute to the Queen in person this once, foreigner." The doors opened from inside and he was greeted with the sight of women almost identical to the ones that were guarding the castle gates. "She is in the throne room, but will not wait for long."

The identical long black ponytails and haughty delicate sniffs were the only signs that the women taking him to see the queen were actually women. Many tales had been told of the beauties of Higurashi, and even more of the freakish beast-women of Higurashi, and he was vaguely disappointed that they were just regular ugly human women. Where were their fearsome powers to turn men to dust with a simple look?

Inside the castle was another story entirely from the outside.

Marble were the floors and walls, with wooden ceilings covered in murals of gloriously beautiful women standing triumphant upon heaps of their enemies' bodies. And the statues! The statues that lined the hall were of a kind of woman unknown even in the pleasure palaces of Inu, the expensive ones you could not even enter without a title, the ones that boasted the most exotic beauties in the world. These ideal women were subtly different from one another but alike enough that they could be sisters. At first, he gaped at them, thinking them real and thinking them shameless exhibitionists, but it became obvious as they walked on, the two guards giving him impatient glances over their shoulders, that they were truly inanimate works of great skill. Higurashi did not possess the refined elegance and cutting-edge technology of the Inu empire, but there was beauty even in such a place as this, and it made Naraku feel just that much more hopeful. Maybe his task would not be as daunting as everyone seemed to think. Just because their culture was different didn't mean they were entirely uncultured…

In contrast, the throne room was plain.

Once those gold-inlaid double doors were opened, the beauty stopped. Nothing but gray stone and a rough wooden chair with a high back. Was that supposed to be the throne? It was the only structure in the room.

In it sat one of the most intimidating women he had ever seen.

The queen of Higurashi was young, but any human age would seem young when compared to the ruler of Inu. An added surprise was that she was also heavily pregnant. The pronounced state of her femininity in no way made him feel safer, for she sat holding a sword in both hands, its point on the floor, but the tenseness of her defined muscles communicated that she was both ready and willing to slice him apart with it in seconds should he give her the slightest reason. Such fierceness detracted some from her beauty, but not enough for him not to notice it.

Naraku didn't get to where he was by being rash, and so instead of taking offense at all of the many offenses he'd suffered thus far, he fell to his knees, bowing his head to the floor.

"O great queen! May you live a hundred years and a hundred more!" That was nothing to anyone of demonic descent, but quite a common praise among humans. "Your servant Naraku greets you most humbly. I thank the gods, but more than them, I thank you for allowing one such as I to pay you tribute personally and witness the grandness of Higurashi with my own unworthy eyes."

There was a long silence during which he continued to stay on the floor, playing it safe.

"What have you in the trunks?"

Right to the tribute, of course. Primitive peoples were very concentrated on material things. Not that more advanced societies weren't, but they at least would greet a person and carry on some sort of conversation until they were finished with the formalities their respective stations required before he offered the tribute himself.

Still on his knees, he opened the largest trunk and revealed the gift for the barbarian queen that he had commissioned over a year ago and had been waiting on ever since.

The queen showed her breeding by now gasping as her guards had done at their own gifts, but her eyes still shone with a greedy kind of light. While it was well-known that the queens of Higurashi were more than proficient with their swords, they also trained with a wide variety of other weapons and learned a special form hand to hand combat, techniques known only to them and the upper classes of their priestesses. Even though they were perfectly capable of turning mere men, and especially demons, into ash just with their evil intent alone, they tended to save that as their last resort since, since, as many learned demons speculated, it drained them of their energy to a dangerous degree. Whether it took minutes or hours or days for them to "recharge", he didn't know. What he did know was that the queens were the most powerful of them all and could seemingly dust demons all day and hardly break a sweat.

This queen in particular was frighteningly powerful and her mere aura crashed against his and made him dizzy. Now he was beginning to regret his gift of throwing knives with black diamond tips. Ever since the queen had first mentioned this was her preferred instrument in taking down a threat, he had known what would most impress her.

Moving with an ease and grace he had never seen in a pregnant woman, whether human or demon, she suddenly stood before him, sword in hand but now with a lax grip.

"Welcome to Higurashi, Naraku. I am glad of your friendship."

He grabbed her extended hand and pulled himself up, struck by the uncommon-by-its-very-common-nature gesture.

"Thank you, Queen…" He did not know her name.

Her grip tightened on his hand and she pulled him closer, looking at his face closely, inspecting him.

"Your eyes are rather ruddy. I've never seen such a shade…in humans."

He blanched. That was one detail he had failed to disclose in his letters. Not being entirely human was something more than looked down upon in Higurashi. Anyone even suspected of fraternizing with demons was killed in a very public execution by the queen herself. So, using his pathetically weak demonic aura and entirely human features to his advantage not for the first time, Naraku simply left out that he was a half-demon and let her assume what she would.

"And I have never seen a woman monarch govern on her own," he replied, perhaps somewhat too sharply. "It seems we are both experiencing new things."

She just smiled without showing her teeth and he felt the greatest pain he had ever experienced in his life before. It was like his entire body was being split open in a thousand long, deep cuts and then the insides set on fire and slashed simultaneously. It was a great struggle not to cry out or change his expression, but he mostly succeeded. He'd had decades of practice. After an eternity, which could only have been a second or two, it was over. He was still there, still in the throne room, still holding the hand of the woman who had just tried to turn him to ash. What these monsters called "purifying". All it did was turn him human for a little while, not like there was much of a difference when it came to him.

He smiled back in the same manner.

"You'll forgive me for not joining you for dinner this evening," she said, as though she had not just tried to kill him. "My general and I have matters of war to attend to." Vaguely, she gestured over her shoulder to the man who stood to the side of her throne, not even having a seat of his own provided for him.

Naraku nodded at the general, who only continued to stare at his queen with complete and utter worship. What a pathetic, useless, emasculated rat of a human being. The prick would be better off dead. Quickly, he banished the flash of dark thought that had intruded. Where the hell had that come from?

The two of them went off without another look back at him and he was left there with his only remaining trunk, that little deposit of clothing and other essentials.

"You are truly not a demon?" a small voice came from behind the throne.

He turned and saw a child rise up from a silk cushion that he had not been able to see where he had been standing before.

Naraku smiled at the girl. "No, just another boring ambassador." That last part was at least true.

She frowned. "I should like very much to see one. Kaede said all people outside Higurashi are demons."

"Not all, but humans and demons mingle together in other countries." Not always as equals, but it was more or less the same everywhere.

"Come," she said, grabbing him by the wrist with more authority than anyone else ever had, "you will eat with me in the nursery."

The nursery was an appropriately pink and white room with little murals of happy-faced ducks and bears and cats dancing around the top near the ceiling. Naraku sat crammed in a white wooden seat intended for someone much younger and more feminine, knees up near his chest, balancing a tiny teacup on a tiny dish with some cake and fruit.

"Your room is very, um, pretty," he said, taking a sip of tea. Gods above, this was the strangest day of his life.

"It's not mine," she said nonchalantly, pulling the grapes off the bunch one by one and arranging them on her dish in a neat spiral. "It's my sister's."

"Your sister?" How many children did this young queen have?

"She isn't born yet, but Mother is very excited. She says this baby is going to be special." Rather than expressing sorrow at the seeming favoritism paid to a child who had not yet even taken its first breath, her face glowed. "I know her true name already. Not even Father and Kaede know."

"And what is her name?"

Her gaze turned sharp. "You are not family or Kaede. You're just a foreigner. You can never know."

So much for that. Even the children of Higurashi were fierce, he was beginning to realize. To his surprise, he found that he did not care much. The girl was refreshingly mature, and though she was quiet and rather abrupt, he could already see that she was going to be a great beauty.

"I am sorry I did not bring a gift for you, Princess, but I did not know of you. Come and sit on my lap and we can try and figure out a present."

She eyed him warily and scooted closer to him but made no move to sit on his lap. "I am not a princess. I am a Queen-in-training."

To him, that was just splitting hairs, but he ignored all that in favor of watching her large liquid mocha eyes. "And what would you like most in this world, little queen-in-training?"

Never looking away, she held his gaze. "To be Queen. And to see my sister."

That was difficult. He had been hoping she'd say a kitten or something, something he would be able to give her and thereby win her favor, and maybe even see the serious child smile.

"Those things will happen soon enough, little one. Is there nothing else you want?"

She shook her head, firm, and continued to eat her grapes.

Later that night when the priestess guards escorted him to his joke of a chamber, the spider came to him for the first time.

" _Naraku_ …" the whisper came from the darkness just when he had almost found his way to a dream. For a minute, it sounded like one of _them_ , the band of thieves that had shaped him, made him. But that was impossible. They were dead. He had seen it with his own eyes.

"Hello?" he whispered back, knowing it was absurd and this was all just another nightmare. Still, something about this time was different. He had never felt so cold the other times.

It had been a long while since his minimal demonic powers were restored, and he could more or less see in the dark of the little room. Dangling in front of his face on a shimmering silver string of web was a spider, darker than the darkness that pervaded the room.

"Hello, Naraku," it said, the voice echoing in the stone room.

"Gods above," he muttered to himself. "I'm going crazy."

"You're far from crazy, son of a whore. It's the Higurashis that are crazy."

His human mother had died with the rest of the gang she had pledged her allegiance to over her son. How long had it been since he had last thought of her? Decades?

The spider continued. "I know all about you, Naraku Onigumo. You, your mother, the band of seven and what they did to you—"

"Stop it!"

"—how when your mother was too used up they made you their group whore—"

" _Stop it!_ "

"—and how sometimes you didn't object as fiercely as you were able."

The shame of it all, his greatest shame, the pain that had driven him to commit horrible deeds and eventually achieve great things, was all back.

"Yes, you'd do anything if it would save you from another beating. Even take it in the ass from that Jakotsu while Bankotsu fucked your little face."

"Enough!" he hissed, face in his hands. He couldn't wake up. Why couldn't he wake up?

"You told them you could never get enough, remember?"

"What do you want?" Something oppressive was blanketing him, smothering him. A force as ancient as it was evil with a will someone like him could never hope to go up against. What was this hidden monster of Higurashi? None of the records mentioned this.

"I want the same thing they did, Naraku. I want to be inside you."

"Leave me alone," he whimpered, his body aching with phantom hurts, ghosts of the pain that had been inflicted upon him when he was still young. "This isn't happening. You're not real. None of this is real!" He'd wake up any minute now and Abi would scream at him for thrashing in the bed and he'd go to breakfast and—

There was a faint tickle on his chin and he knew, too scared to open his eyes and look, that the spider was there. He could not move. He could not stop what was happening. Just like back then. Just like when they hurt him back then. The spider continued its journey and made its way inside his mouth, taking the eerie supernatural blackness in the room with it. Weak. He had always been so weak.

But that was all over now.

The spider told him things, secret things that before he had not acknowledged even in the privacy of his own thoughts. Like how he hated Abi and the children she bore him, too, if they were even his. How he hated demons and humans both. How he hated Higurashi and their queen's accursed blood and craved to destroy it all. And his desire for the child queen of Higurashi, who was the perfect partner for one destined for great things such as himself.

"Separately, Naraku," came the voice, this time from inside his head, "we are weak. But together we are the strongest force on this earth."

And he knew it was true.

The spider kept him busy the entire night through, but by the time the sun rose over the walls of Higurashi, everything was ready.

Barbarian tribes that the queen had been fighting her pathetic "wars" with had cooperated and unified for the first time in their history, thanks to a newly charismatic foreigner who took it upon himself to give them inside information to destroy their hated enemy. He watched it all from afar, leisurely reclining on a branch in the forests that bordered the fighting, his heart warming at each spill of Higurashi blood on the battlefield. This was just the beginning, but it was a beautiful beginning.

The queen was in the midst of it all, and just like that, he knew her name. Midoriko. The bitch. Just like Tsukiyomi. They even looked so much alike. All the joy in his heart at seeing the bloodshed fled and left nothing but a great pain.

At that moment, Midoriko fell to her knees, hands clutching her abdomen. Naraku smirked. Both of the child's wishes would be fulfilled in one fell swoop. As her husband the general busied himself with cutting down the tribesmen, lost in his bloodlust and blind to anything but the combat he himself was engaged in, Midoriko cried out in rage, not pain, as the birthing time came upon her. Attuned to her mistress, a grizzled old priestess shot arrows at the warriors that tried to take advantage of the opportunity. She ran to her side, and Midoriko slashed at the calves of anyone who came near them. The two of them conferred for a minute before the queen of Higurashi shooed her attendant away. Was the bitch going to bring her child into this world herself, alone and surrounded by hostile forces on the battlefield? Face grim, the old woman did as bid and returned to her station, still defending her queen when she could.

Midoriko cried out until her face turned red, gasping for air. Her eyes rose, up and up, until their gazes clashed. But that was impossible. He was well hidden by the foliage and a great distance away. There was no way she could possibly know he was there. But he was certain that she did. She could see him and she knew that he was the one who had done this. She had known from the moment they'd touched hands, maybe even from the moment he began to write her. Lips twisted in a sneer, she reached inside the pack on her back, and by the moment he recognized the black blade flying towards him, it was too late. Her gaze had held him, paralyzed him. The blade struck his heart, and again he felt that power they called purification, and a part of him wanted to cry out to her that it was too late and he was sorry and to forgive him for his betrayal and he could never love another woman or allow a single thing to live while she was dead and gone…

The wound would serve a purpose, he supposed.

His dragons were waiting where he left them, just outside the Higurashi boundary. They seemed surprised to see him, since his original visit was supposed to last a week, which in itself would have been laughably short despite his hopes it would lay the groundwork for a relationship with the isolationist kingdom. All his belongings were packed and ready to go. Briefly, he entertained grabbing the queen-to-be and throwing her across the back of the dragon, taking her with him to Inu, where she would be his chief wife once he slayed Abi and bear him acceptable children. But no, the spider was saying he had to wait for that, and that the waiting would make things all the richer.

Acting and drama had never been among his talents, but everything had changed now. When he charged into the throne room where the emperor was holding court with his queen, he was nothing if not believable.

"Most revered lord emperor!" he cried, out of breath. Naraku collapsed to the floor just inches inside the room. The entire court stared at him, murmuring behind their rapidly twitching fans. He could feel Abi's glare from somewhere in the room. Queen Izayoi gasped, taking in his blood-stained clothes and the knife that was instantly recognizable as the unique gift he had made for Midoriko stuck in his chest, the tip still wedged in his heart.

"Is that the ambassador to Higurashi?" Toga removed his ball gag to ask his wife.

"I believe so, my love. Did he not leave us just yesterday?"

"Naraku, what in the world happened?"

"Higurashi, First One." He struggled to get to his knees. "They are more than barbarians, my lord. I must tell you… I must…"

The emperor glared at his courtiers and various favor-currying nobles. "Get out."

For men like him, things were just that easy. The people obeyed, and in the room remained only the three of them. Naraku would have preferred it if that bitch Izayoi, who was far too perceptive for her own good however much she liked to hide behind her sex-fueled persona, was gone as well, but he'd take what he could get.

"Naraku, we must get you some medical attention," Izayoi said, violet eyes filled with genuine worry. "You're hurt, and with your demonic powers being as subtle as they are, you won't—"

"Higurashi is planning to wage a war on Inu!" Interrupting the queen was a great risk, but he couldn't stand to hear that whore go on for another second longer.

Toga quirked a brow. "Higurashi? Are they so isolated they do not know of how foolish that would be? It's nothing but a swift and brutal suicide that they are inviting."

"But my lord, they are unifying with other human kingdoms and the human tribes and conspiring to subdue demons until they are nothing more than cattle while taking our lands and technology for themselves."

At this, the emperor laughed. "And what makes them think they can even approach something close to that?"

"The jewel of destruction, my lord. The Shikon no Tama."

Izayoi's face drained of color and the emperor lost all expression.

"Are you positive?" he asked, face grave, eyes hard.

Naraku nodded. "I earned the queen's trust and she told me herself. Convinced I was a human, she tried to get me to swear my allegiance and conspire with her, but I refused, and she tried to kill me." He hung his head in feigned shame. "I panicked, sire, and I struck her dead. My greatest apologies. I should have thought to bring her here to interview, but I was frightened of her purification powers and did not want to bring the bearer of the jewel into the palace."

"You did fine, Naraku." He turned to Izayoi. "I knew the jewel was held in Higurashi, but the queen Hitomiko swore a blood oath to me that they kept it only to purify it and keep it out of both demonic and human hands. Since it was created by them, I allowed them to keep it. The terms of the treaty were that we both keep to ourselves and they would never use the jewel." He cursed. "If I had known they would betray me this way, I would have destroyed it myself."

Izayoi patted his hand. "Don't be so hard on yourself, my love. The jewel is indestructible, and we all know no demon or bad human can resist its call. Everyone believed Higurashi the safest place for it."

"To think that one of the queens whose sole purpose it was to protect the jewel and keep it out of the hands of all who sought it out would turn and attempt to use it like this." He shook his head. "Well, it does sound like a very human thing to do. Thank you for the information, Naraku. I fear the war we have avoided for ages has found a way to begin."

Naraku had not known the jewel was real before the spider had whispered to him the certainty of its existence. Some believed the ancient texts, some didn't. All that was known of the jewel was that it was born of the bloody tears of the first queen of Higurashi and used to defeat the demons that she warred with. A face he had never seen before flashed in his mind, and his pierced heart ached with pain as it sang out for Tsukiyomi. When she died, it was guarded by the new queen in a location known only to her, and that was how it continued for generations, passed down in secret from mother to daughter.

"I have a plan, my king," he began. "The queen trusted me, and I learned things during my brief time in Higurashi. I know how we can defeat them."

And that was how Naraku the Spider became the emperor of Inu's most trusted advisor.

 **O\o/O**

Inuyasha was tired, pissed off, and horny.

For days now, he had been traveling the outer lands, the ones not yet under complete Inu control but only because he had not yet begun to make subjects of them. Though soon they would be, and they knew that, which was why the majority of them had sworn their allegiance to them. For days now, he had been following the intelligence trail orchestrated by that smug fuck Naraku, and it had gotten him nothing. A bunch of ignorant peasants who wanted more rice and were willing to make up stories to try and get it. As if. His blood boiled just remembering the parasites who thought they could trick him with their lies just because he was a half-demon.

"If this asshole's the same as the rest of 'em, we're going back to the palace tonight," he grumbled to Sango.

"You still want to go back?" It was the first time he had ever been eager to leave the field. Sango had thought that his obsession with the slave would fade as soon as he was out doing what he loved again, but the young prince just seemed to be getting grumpier and grumpier.

"Keh! The longer I stay away, the more stubborn she'll get." His eyes were bright and hard as they knocked on the door of the next informant on their list. "I was so close…"

She rolled her eyes at his back. "Sure you were."

The door opened to reveal an old woman, dirty and poor like the rest of the peasants they'd been seeing the past few days. "Where's my payment?" she barked.

Inuyasha shoved the door open and sniffed, a look of disgust on his face. No traps, but fuck, this joint smelled exactly like fucking Higurashi. Disgusting.

"You'll get it if you have anything worth paying you for."

She sneered at him. "Have it your way, half-breed."

Sango wanted to slap the woman for daring to speak to the prince of the Inu like that, but Inuyasha was insisting on being treated like a common person for this particular mission. Usually, he liked to flaunt his status and make those that dared speak harshly to him beg for their lives and work themselves into hysterics before he "pardoned" them. The shadow wasn't sure why he was doing this now, but she suspected it had something to do with his newest slaves, and that alone made her mad about it.

"Just get on with it, you old hag."

"I was gathering mushrooms in the Higurashi forests. They don't guard the outermost borders, and the kind I sell are plentiful there, and no other merchants will dare tread on Higurashi ground, so I have it all to myself." She seemed pleased just thinking of her cleverness. "Findings were scarce ever since they started those wars with the Inu, and it was taking longer than usual to fill my baskets. I had gotten turned around and lingered past my usual time, and it was dusk. I was beginning to panic, but then I saw the two of them."

"Two?" Inuyasha's tone revealed his interest. All the other informants had mentioned a grand group of courtiers like it was some kind of parade and shit, but this was different.

The old woman's eyes shone, lost in the memory. "She was beautiful. The most beautiful woman I've ever seen!" Shaking her head a little, she was all business again. "They were dressed for travel, but there was no mistaking who they were. The queen was there, not able to conceal such glowing beauty even in a hooded cloak, and she was accompanied by one of their priestesses. I heard them say something about Hekigan." Her hand burrowed into one of her many pockets and she produced a richly ornamented hair comb. "She dropped this."

Carefully, Inuyasha inspected it, sniffing and finding it to smell exactly how the castle had smelled. The old bitch might be telling the truth.

Gesturing to Sango, he said, "Give her the rice."

The slayer grabbed the bag out of her pack and placed it in the smiling woman's arms. She held it like it was a newborn baby.

"Thank you for the information," the shadow told her since she knew her prince wouldn't. "The rest of your reward will come shortly."

Inuyasha was beaming as they left the house, waving the hair comb in the air. "Fucking finally! It's been almost a week. I was about to say fuck it and just make shit up so I could go home."

"I wouldn't rejoice just yet. The old woman said Hekigan might be involved in this. That means war."

The half-demon turned serious again. "Shit. Well, it was coming anyway. We should still wait on some more solid information than a hair comb, but it's enough to take back to the palace. For now." His tone made it clear that he was not looking forward to doing his job again anytime soon.

Instead of sitting inside the coach with her, Inuyasha drove it himself, even though every child in Inu knew dragons could drive themselves, urging them on so they would arrive at the palace in the clouds all the sooner. Sango sighed. She hadn't gotten to use Hiraikotsu even once on their trip. Her muscles were aching from lack of use. Maybe she should make another visit home and see how the eunuch guards were faring in their training. The pretty one who had accused her of smelling like whale vomit was probably dead by now unless Kohaku had intervened.

Inuyasha was so eager to visit his slave that he almost paid a visit to the dungeon before giving his report, and had Sango not glared at him until he did what he was supposed to do, he would have broken all protocol and earned them both a severe reprimand from Sesshomaru. The debriefing was quick, which was a great blessing.

"I don't like this," Sango confessed to him as they made their way to the dungeon.

"What?" His mind was not all there, she could tell. He was elsewhere. With her.

"What this is doing to you, Inuyasha." She tugged on his sleeve and they stopped walking. "Please. I know you're stressed because of the arranged marriage and you want to fulfill every one of your fantasies with these last slaves, but it's taking you over. You're acting strange."

Inuyasha frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You _never_ want to be at the palace. I never thought I'd see the day where you tried to turn down a field assignment just so you could get your rocks off."

He crossed his arms. It wasn't like he didn't realize he was acting different, but things _were_ different now. There were no assurances he would be allowed to continue his lifestyle, and he wanted to enjoy his time while his time was still his own.

"What do you want me to do?"

"Get rid of her," she answered without hesitation. Sango flinched internally. She didn't want to be _that_ girl, sounding jealous, especially when she knew Inuyasha had never truly been hers and never would be, but she just couldn't help it.

He laughed. "No way! I'm sorry for worrying you, Sango, but I'm not going to just dump her like that. Not after everything. With all the money I spent, I'm not letting her go until she pays me back with pleasure all of the gold I used to buy her. Plus she's a package deal with her sister, and Kikyo is a fucking natural." Her obedience was wooden and eerie, but maybe it would be a nice contrast to her rebel of a sister.

"Fine. Then promise me you'll work twice as hard to break her." She just wanted this game over with. "I'm so tired of this."

Inuyasha's eyes darkened to a rich honey color and he growled, attention already fixed on the girl behind the dungeon door. "Believe me, as soon as we get down there, she's going to be in a world of pain."

There was a strange feeling pervading the dungeon when they arrived. It took Inuyasha a moment or two to pinpoint it, but then he realized: it was quiet. No screaming or banging from the slave who had done nothing but that since he'd first laid eyes on her. And no guards, either. Even the observation room had been empty, orbs off. He'd speak to them later. There had been trouble with them in the past taking group lunches and breaks when they were supposed to only go one at a time, and since he had been gone, they had most likely returned to that bad habit.

When he opened the door to her cell, he was horrified.

Kagome was crumpled in a ball on the floor, skin tinged blue. She was so small he'd almost tripped over her when attempting to cross the threshold. Her little hands were curled into fists, but he could see how they were bruised and the nails bloodied from where she'd banged and scratched at the door.

"Fuck fuck _fuck_ ," he hissed, crouching down and shaking her. "Kagome? Kagome, are you all right? What the fuck happened!?"

Her head lolled from side to side but she was unresponsive.

Gathering her in his arms, he turned to Sango. "What do I do?"

She had never seen him so helpless. "I-I don't know." His games had never caused a person real harm before. Of course it would have to happen with this one. "She looks dehydrated. I don't think she had anything to drink or eat the entire time we were gone." The prince's cruel last words to the slave flashed through her mind.

He wasn't listening to her. "She's so cold. Fuck, she's so cold. I have to get her warm."

He was walking, and his shadow scurried to follow, but not even she could keep up when he broke into a demonic run. Sango had never really realized how he had always slowed himself down so that they would be able to walk side by side. Soon, she lost track of them, but she knew where he had been headed.

Inuyasha tucked the deprived slave into his own bed, where not even she had ever lain, and grabbed a passing servant by the collar to light a fire in the hearth he had never before used.

Sango didn't want to say it, but she did. "…Is she still breathing?"

Her prince looked at her with wide fearful eyes. "Not much. Get Mother's personal doctor and try and track down the guards." His expression turned fierce. "Whoever did this to her is going to pay with their life."

Sango scurried to find a servant to fulfill his orders, wondering if Inuyasha would realize that he himself had been the one to do this to the girl.

 **Note: OH BOY, HAS IT BEEN A YEAR! As you've probably noticed, I am just all over the place rn. This chapter was really hard to write (thus the lack of details) and more than that it was hard to find time to write it. It's been weird getting used to not having any time to myself since I'm always at work and when I'm at home I'm doing chores and stuff. Not being able to do my own thing has been driving me crazy. I'm super sorry about the flop of a Christmas shot week. I was feeling really down and just stressed and so when my friend, who I hadn't seen in months, invited me out, I dropped everything and just went with her. And then I couldn't even finish the promised Christmas one shot because I was suddenly informed that I would be cleaning/decorating the house for Christmas and then the day before told I would be cooking for TEN TO FIFTEEN people when before I thought it was just going to be six. So I was just going crazy. I'm hoping things calm down soon and I'm able to work more on these stories. I actually have an idea for a new story that I'm really excited about and want to try but I feel like maybe I've already got too much going on lol. BUT THE TEMPTATION THO. We'll see. Anyway, thanks for reading and you guys are super great as always.**


	9. Only with Thine Eyes

****Nine: Only with Thine Eyes****

Miroku found it almost therapeutic spending time with his young commander, Kohaku. Healing.

"So it's not really that dragons breathe fire, per se, it's more that they are capable of breathing a special kind of gas that ignites at very low temperatures very quickly, faster than human or demon eye can track, using the light of the sun, moon, or stars as an ignition. The oxygen all around us makes it more dramatic."

The boy nodded, his attention rapt, brown eyes, so like his sister's, large in his lightly freckled face.

"How do they know when to do it and when not to do it? The war dragons are trained but so are the ones for transport and farm work. How come they aren't lighting things on fire all the time?"

"Dragons are very smart creatures," he explained with a smile. Was this how his instructors felt when he had been a young pupil at the academy? "Most of them only need a week or so of training and reinforcement. When in the wild, their ability is used very rarely and only in cases of grave danger, say like when a mother dragon is defending her young from a hostile male that has taken over the herd. But during training, they are purposely spooked time and time again. The trainers punish them and reward them until they know to only breathe gas at the spoken command of their owner. The best and most expensive dragons don't even need a word. They are so linked to their owners that a mere change in smell lets them know when to use their power."

Kohaku's face fell. "Punishments? What kind?"

What an odd question. The not-quite-eunuch had expected him to ask questions about historically famous dragons and their owners, or at least about the crown prince and his famed collection of dragons, each one worth more than a small kingdom. The older prince collected expensive dragons the way the younger prince collected beautiful women. Ah, but how enviable.

"Just standard punishments. Whipping, withholding of food, beating…" He stopped listing off training methods at the look on the boy's face. Was he about to cry? "But after that very __brief__ period," he added quickly, "they live exceptionally good lives. Better even than most common folk, if they are bought by a wealthy owner. Since they can be very expensive, people treat their dragons well so they will last longer. The happier the dragon, the longer the life. Some even live for a thousand years!"

He smiled. "I want a dragon someday. I wouldn't ride him everywhere or make him work. We would just be friends."

"Kohaku!" roared a deep voice from somewhere nearby.

They both flinched.

In an automatic reaction he had honed over the past week and a half, Miroku got to the ground and started doing push-ups. He was sweating already, which would look good, but that was due to the rather humid day they were having. The slayer tribe seemed to be doing just fine even in their leather suits and his fellow eunuchs seemed unperturbed as well, but he was suffering. Miroku was new to physical suffering. He hated it. This was not the kind of life a nobleman's only son and heir should have, impoverished or not.

"Keep going, maggot!" Kohaku yelled down at him, his dirty boot pressing his face firmly into the dirt. As humiliating as it was to be abused like this by a twelve-year-old boy, Miroku didn't blame the kid. After all, he understood. The two of them had a lot in common.

"Boy!"

"Yes, Father?"

Greatly struggling with his third push-up, Miroku tried to glance at the intimidating chief without being noticed. To his great displeasure, he only succeeded in meeting the man's eyes. It sent a shiver down his spine.

"Why are you not as invested with the training of the other trash units?" he asked, tone deceptively light, almost like he was genuinely curious and just wanted to know. "What makes this one so special that you are leaving the main training grounds and heading off to the forests so often?"

Kohaku's face heated. The boy was not naturally deceitful and lying seemed to hurt him almost physically, especially when it was to someone he loved.

"He is worse than the others, Father. The ones from my group that have survived so far are nearly ready to be placed, I swear it, but this one is lazy. I think he doesn't want an assignment and wishes to be comfortable here in our village and so I'm being extra hard on him."

The chief looked at him struggling to move on the ground, basically flopping about like a fish. Then he looked back at his son.

"Are you quite sure you've passed the Worth Point with your group?" That was what they called the period that separated the successes from the failures. The useful from the useless. The living from the dead. "He looks quite strained."

Kohaku nodded. "Yes, Father. He performed exceptionally well at the beginning. This worm is fast and strong when he chooses. But he seems to feel as though he's ahead of the others and looks down on them."

The chief sighed. "Very well, then." He clapped the boy on the shoulder and he brightened. "Go see to the rest of your group. I'll take this one back to the eunuch shed and see to it that he not get any dinner tonight for his ways."

The boy glanced at Miroku worriedly. "You need not trouble yourself, Father. It's my first group and I need the experience if I am going to be able to hold my head up and keep calling myself your son."

For just a brief second, the man grinned, but then his face was stony again like it had never happened.

"Very well." Without any kind of forewarning, he kicked Miroku hard in the stomach. So fast he still had not been able to take a breath or process the first blooms of pain, the chief knelt down and grabbed him by the hair, yanking it hard. "Listen here, scum," he hissed so low that even Miroku could barely hear him so he knew there was no chance the boy could. Perhaps that was for the best. "I know your type. You leave my son out of your sick perversions. You can get no satisfaction from your taste for boys anymore, or is that why you're doing this? Your life is no longer worth living, is that it?"

"No!" he wheezed. "No, sir, that's not it―"

"You shut up!" He twisted his grip on Miroku's already bruised scalp and made him cry out. "Keep your hands to yourself and off my son or I will cut them off."

"Fine!" he gasped, just to get him to stop.

He let go. Turning to Kohaku, he said, "Your sister will be by for the new recruits before the moon renews. Get to work on your recommendations now."

He nodded, not relaxing his stiff posture until his father was well out of sight.

"I'm sorry, Miroku!" Kohaku said, worriedly offering a hand to his fallen charge. "I didn't know what to do! I couldn't stop it."

"It's okay, Kohaku. It's not your fault." He winced. Gods, but his ribs were tender. Suppose they were bruised? "Thank you for lying to your father for me. I know it took a lot and it was difficult."

The boy rewarded him with another smile, his one dimple making an appearance.

The truth was that had Kohaku not been such an eager pupil, deprived of the expensive learning that could only be found at the highest of academies, the ones Miroku had spent his entire life in, the man would have been long dead. In fact, he probably would have been the first one among the eunuchs to die. It was a mistake to think he could easily best the eunuchs simply because they were no longer possessed of the height of their masculinity. These were not the eunuchs used for pleasure in the courts of foreign kings. No, these were hardened criminals who had committed the worst of crimes and made the mistake of getting caught. They had all lived rough lives and they knew how to hustle.

Miroku just knew how to talk.

So he talked. His first impression was not a mistake and the boy commander was a soft soul in truth, not meant for this world of battle and bloodshed but born into it nonetheless. In another life, he would have made a fabulous healer or artisan, yet his father was who he was and so any other life than the one he was currently enduring was not possible.

Struggling to his feet, he winced. Miroku could not straighten entirely due to the pain. Since he was a fast healer, he would be more or less all right in a week or two, but those weeks would be brutal indeed.

"Stop!" Kohaku yelled.

At the frantic command, Miroku obeyed, always mindful of the fact that this child was his superior and his life was in his hands.

"What is it?" he whispered. Had his father heard? Had the other taijiya? The eunuchs? Had this all been a test?

Crouching down, Kohaku gently cupped a handful of twigs and leaves right where Miroku had been about to place his foot. The look on the boy's face was unspeakably gentle for a moment.

"A sparrow," he murmured. "No sign of its mother. The little thing barely got its feathers."

He stared at the creature all huddled and still. "Are you sure it's alive?"

"Of course he is! See? His eyes are opening and closing." As if to prove Kohaku spoke the truth, the thing let out a pathetic little chirp that was only just audible.

"We should put him somewhere. The mother is most likely leaving it to fend for itself temporarily and learn some necessary survival skills. Leave the thing on a branch and let's get going."

Kohaku shook his head. "Look here, Miroku. His wing looks funny. I think it's broken."

He frowned. "Perhaps an accident from learning to fly. If that is the case, the kindest thing we could do would be to put it out of its misery." Bitterly he remembered what old man Mushin had told him to do with the pet parrot that had once belonged to his unknown mother.

Stubborn, the boy shook his head again. "No! Don't you know all sorts of things about animals and nature, Miroku?" The boy turned his eyes on him and he couldn't help but to nod, even if tentatively. "Then we'll save him. We'll make him better and then he can go out on his own back to the forest with his family."

"We should not make such a delicate, wild creature dependent on us, Kohaku. It's wrong."

"It's wrong to just leave him here to die!" he said, voice raised enough that the bird let out a tiny distressed peep in response.

He sighed. "Okay, then. Keep him in your room. Put a hot water bottle in a box and cover it with a cloth. Put the bird there and give him water. You would know the kind of seeds and berries the birds of this region feed off of better than I, so make sure he gets it."

The boy grinned. "Thanks, Miroku. And you'll examine the wing, right?"

"I'll check on him weekly."

"You're the best eunuch I've ever had. I'll make sure to sneak you some dinner tonight."

Miroku's smile was weak as he stared at the boy's retreating figure. Perhaps he should take his own advice.

 ** **O\o/O****

Inuyasha paced the innermost room of his chambers, the bedroom where he had never brought a woman for intimate purposes. Only his mother and Sango had been here and then it was only for official purposes. But now there was a woman tucked into his bed who not only was of too low a station to even be able to look him in the eye but also hated him.

Perhaps rightly so, he was beginning to realize.

The half-demon scowled and gave the slight lump in his bed a glare. It wasn't his fault she was a stubborn little bitch that had no sense of the kind of game they were playing. Never had she ever been in any real danger and yet she continued to act like he had ruined her life or something rather than seeing it as the opportunity of a lifetime. Her sister was smarter. Maybe she could talk some sense into her…

"How's she doing?" he asked the doctor.

"As well as could be expected from someone recovering from near-death," the old man replied smartly. He knew he could get away with it since he was under the protection of the true power of the kingdom, Queen Izayoi.

Hesitantly, Inuyasha peeked at her pale face half-covered by silken sheets and blankets. Her complexion was still wan but her cheeks had filled out some.

"It's been days!" he complained. "Why is she still like this?" She shouldn't still be unconscious most of the time. It wasn't right. The girl should be up and about and screaming at him. Like before.

"She's just a human, my prince," the doctor sighed for perhaps the hundredth time. "She was suffering deprivation for an extended period of time. Her recovery has been coming along very well, though. Instruct the maids to keep feeding her the special broth I gave them. For the past couple days they have added vegetables and rice, and now they may add a little meat as well."

His ears perked straight up on his head. "So she's almost better?"

"I still recommend you leave the room when she wakes, my prince."

He frowned. The old man knew him too well. For days now he had been following his advice even though he thought it was stupid, not wanting to take any chances, but this was just too much. Why would merely seeing him affect her health? He was one of the only people she knew! Kagome was probably asking for him and they just weren't telling him. It was probably all on Sesshomaru's orders. The bastard wanted to get him more involved in official state matters. He couldn't care less. Hadn't he fought enough for them? Shouldn't he be allowed to do as he pleased from now until they forced some hideous woman on him as his wife?

"Tonight," the doctor said, reading the prince's increasingly rebellious expression. "You may see her tonight. But be gentle. She is a very frail girl."

"I know that," he grumbled. Kagome was different. Not like Sango. Not like Kikyo. She was a fighter, to be sure, but that was in spirit, not in body. This game was going to have to be different, too.

And he had a feeling it was going to be the best one yet.

"She's going to need cheering up after all this. Bring her something. Something nice."

He snorted. "I'm not courting her."

"No," the doctor sighed, packing up his instruments. "You've just been wearing a trail in the floors of your own room, as worried as an expectant father."

Kagome stirred in her sleep and immediately he was at her side, his hand taking hers in an automatic reaction. Every bit of him was on edge, wanting her to open those eyes and see him for the first time in so long. An equal part of him twisted in pain at the thought of meeting that fiery gaze again.

"Kikyo…" she murmured, her feverish voice croaking.

He wanted to tell her that he was there, that he had been watching over her and giving her the best of everything, but his voice died inside his throat as she pulled away from him in a stronger movement than he had thought her capable of. Even in her sleep, Kagome rejected him.

"Scurry back out. She's waking up again."

Inuyasha bared his fangs at the old man in a growl but did as directed. If he really wanted to, he could see Kagome during those brief moments she was awake. But something was holding him back. Whenever he thought of her lying there, dying on the floor with no one to hear her cries for help, his stomach hurt worse than that time Sesshomaru had plunged his entire arm through it, poison claws and all. He wanted to tell her about it, but he didn't know how. She was going to be so angry when they finally saw each other again. The old doctor was right, he had to give her something. Something nice. Something she wanted so much she would forget about what had happened.

His feet took him to the harem.

Whenever he was home, this was the place where he spent the most time. Between the training rooms and here, he was almost happy. But now he wasn't feeling that same anticipation he usually did. Now, he wasn't here for himself.

The Higurashi woman's room was a little farther from the other occupied ones. When he had first brought her here, he had been a little worried at her blankly compliant demeanor. He had never dealt with the like of either of the sisters before, so he was definitely winging it. That just made it all the more fun. At least he thought it would. Things weren't turning out exactly the way he'd thought they would. He was so far from getting the other sister in bed now and he couldn't even dream about having the both of them at once. This was going to take some manipulation, even he could see that. If he could only figure out exactly how to go about that…

Not bothering to knock because all these rooms and their inhabitants belonged to him, he strolled into the Higurashi woman's private chamber.

She didn't even look the least bit surprised. "Again?"

Her voice was blank, as blank as her eyes, her expression. Inuyasha sat across from her where she had been reading at the little ivory table where she took her meals.

"You play shogi?" He didn't know why he asked. That game was for old men who had forgotten what it was like to breathe in the scent of their comrades' blood on the battlefield, or worse, those who never had.

Something moved behind her eyes and they shone briefly. "…It has been a while."

Inuyasha rifled through the chest at the foot of the bed. Each room in the harem was filled with the basics, and some idiot on his staff had decided that included an ivory shogi set. He had never played with the other slaves, but he needed something, and he had a feeling this woman would be more inclined to give him what he wanted if she had something distracting her from his motives.

The game started off slowly. At first, he was letting her win, trying to study her. It wasn't too long before he realized he could be playing at his best and the match would still be a real struggle.

"You're good," he grunted. This was just further proof that shogi was a game for women and old men.

"I was taught by the best." Again, that peculiar brightness in her deep eyes.

The half-demon narrowly escaped being beaten. It just wouldn't do to have a slave best the master in under ten minutes.

"Your queen?"

If he had thought the question would surprise her and get her off her game, he'd thought wrong. She cornered him again.

"A mere soldier would never have cause to even see the Queen's face."

"Then who was better at such a game of strategy than even the ruler? The king?"

Her lips turned down in a frown. "There is no king, merely a general. And he was like you."

"What do you mean like me?" he replied, hating how he felt offended even at such an emotionless statement, reading into it and automatically assuming it was intended to slight.

A pause as she surveyed the board. "Undeveloped."

Completely abandoning the game, Inuyasha glared at her. "' _ _Undeveloped__ '?" he hissed. "The hell is that supposed to mean?"

"It means," she stressed, tone becoming just shy of condescending, "that you are just like the others, prince or not. You care only for praise and glory and conquest, and you don't even realize when your king has been defeated before your very eyes."

Inuyasha stared at the board and blinked. Checkmate. "Damn," he said. "You really are good. Who taught you?" he asked again.

"A man who was too kind for this world." Suddenly, she was withdrawn again, her once alive eyes dull and empty.

"Your sister is sick."

No reaction.

He tried to calm the flames of anger that rose in him at her lack of a response. "You wanna see her? She's been asking for you, even in her sleep."

"What purpose would that serve?"

"It would help her get better!"

"You have physicians and potions far better than any of that which could be found in Higurashi, is that not true? Are you not willing to use them on a mere slave? It would be much less of a problem if you were to release her in the city. Then she could no longer be a burden to you."

"I am not cruel. She's been given my mother's own personal doctor. Don't you want to see your own sister?"

"If you were not able to infer my reluctance from our conversation so far, then I do not know how to phrase it in a way genteel enough for a personage as exalted as yourself."

Inuyasha got to his feet. This must be why the girl was so wild. Her only family was pushing her away to the unknown while they remained comfortable surrounded by luxury. Of course she would be violent, of course she would reject anything other than what she had been shown.

"You will not see your sister again until she is completely mine. Then she will no longer be the girl child you can manipulate and discard at your will."

When he left the room, Kikyo fell to her knees, where she stayed for hours, too overwhelmed to shed tears.

 ** **O\o/O****

Kagura stared at the food on her plate. The silence at the dinner table was deafening. She knew that were she not here, the others would be enjoying a nice intimate conversation, not paying a single thought to her. Unfortunately, she had accepted the invitation for the first time in nearly a year. Gods, but what had she been thinking? Of course nothing had changed. It never would. Her head pounded and she longed for the opium and pipe in her chambers.

"I lunched with your mother today," she announced, feeling her skin grow hot and then cold when her voice came out too loud.

Sesshomaru's eyes briefly flicked to her. Was she just imagining it, or did the corners of his mouth turn down in distaste? Just like their wedding. From the very beginning, he had been this way. Why did she keep torturing herself?

Why did it hurt more when she kept away?

"I assumed she usually enjoys the midday meal with you. As the world knows, her breakfasts belong to Izayoi and her dinners to her... _ _friends__." There it was, that same look of delicate disgust.

"She mentioned the plans for Inuyasha's marriage." Finally, something to talk about. "The prince is not pleased."

"If Inuyasha had his way, he would stay a wild boy forever. No responsibilities. Just traipsing about challenging anything in his path. One of these days, someone will have less mercy than I and he will no longer be such a nuisance."

"Your father and the queen are allowing him to choose his own," she gossiped. "It is most unusual, but I guess so is he."

Sesshomaru lashed out with his energy whip and caught the bottle of wine that was held by a trembling servant imp, refilling his own cup.

"Inuyasha will not choose." His voice was firm and full of certainty. "Idiot he is, he will let even this immense show of favoritism pass him by." Almost a smile. "I already have a list of suitable brides prepared. Then the whelp will know what true misery really is."

Kagura went back to staring at her plate. Had he completely forgotten who he was talking to or did he just not care?

"Rin," Sesshomaru murmured, "you've hardly touched your food. What ails you?"

"I-I'm not feeling very well…"

Concern for her overwhelming all else, the crown prince reached out and felt the forehead of his ward. What did he know of human illnesses? What did he care?

"You are unwell," he confirmed.

Before Rin could react at all, he got to his feet and yanked back the girl's chair, taking her up in his arms.

"My lord!" she gasped, cheeks turning pink. "What are you－"

"You must rest. I will have a more appropriate meal brought to you."

He began to leave the room, and Kagura's helpless eyes followed the two of them and jealously drank in the sight of her husband and lover. Rin peeked at her over his shoulder and their gazes clashed before she could veil her emotions and the girl gasped at the hatred there. Immediately, she felt guilty.

Grabbing both Rin and Sesshomaru's cups of wine, she downed them one after the other. Good, but nowhere near enough.

Gods, but Sesshomaru was an idiot. Ill? Could he not smell the guilt on his precious little girl? Did he not realize the pattern? The little bitch did this every time.

Kagura heard the sound of Rin's door closing and knew her husband would not come out until the girl was sleeping. Perhaps not even then.

The sudden tornado in the room had the idiot imps screaming in terror as the fine porcelain dishes crashed into the walls of the dining room and broke into fragments. There was blood in the air and it was her doing. Oh, but who would care. It was just a servant. She was the one who was really hurt.

Countless times since she had first seen him she had felt blades of emotion cut at her heart. Even now, years later, she could not quite identify what her feelings were exactly. She just called the ever-present torturous feeling lack of love. She needed so much and she had so little. Less than none.

Sesshomaru was not made for love. Not for hers, anyway.

It was when she was still just a little girl. Back before her father had become the nightmare he was now. Before his power, when he was just a busy man who loved her but not enough to give her his time or attention. Back then, he had been the parent she loved most. Her mother was cruel and wanted to keep her out of sight, disliking being a mother almost as much as she disliked being a wife. She had no siblings then, just the servants. And she was lonely.

So was he.

That first sight of him still made her heart almost unbearably warm. A little boy, hardly older than her, but even then so silent and tall. Breathtaking, the sun hitting his face and highlighting the tears that he furiously wiped away before they could even reach his cheeks.

Curious as to what was upsetting the beautiful boy, Kagura looked out into the garden to see what he was seeing. Her heart began to beat fast in a panic－the emperor! And the empress and the queen. She was just some merchant's daughter with no title and no background. If they caught her so deep in the palace, she would surely be punished. Not just her, but her parents as well.

But her eyes were drawn the the boy again and she stayed right where she was.

"Do you want to play?" she asked, gesturing to the garden where the royal family was. Courtiers were throwing a ball around and the little prince was loudly laughing in his father's arms, enjoying the game. "I can get a ball and we can－"

The boy turned a look of such ferocious anger at her that she was struck dumb. He ran in the direction of the royal quarters, the most closed-off part of the palace, and that was when she knew just who she had fallen in love with.

Crown Prince Sesshomaru.

From that moment on, there was nothing she did that did not involve one day becoming a woman who would be worthy of approaching him.

"I am very pleased," Abi had said, her mother watching her as she learned to put on makeup. "For a while, I had feared your wildness inherited from your bastard father would prevent you from ever becoming a lady."

Kagura rouged her lips, making them as deep a red as he could so as to one day catch his notice. Her eyes she lined, lashes she darkened. Every day. Every day she made herself beautiful. Painful corsets and hours spent on hair and dressing. Learning to dance and play the harp and write calligraphy and memorizing poetry. Becoming a lady so that one day she might stand in his presence and see him smile rather than cry.

Her father did his part. At first, there was no apparent reason why he was suddenly so viciously ambitious, but as the years went by and he realized a daughter of impeccable character and manners and beauty would serve him as a pawn, he told her of his plans.

"Kagura," he said one night as the maid brushed her hair. With a glance, he dismissed her.

"She had only done seventy strokes!" she complained.

"I believe you are of an age to marry."

Shocked, she felt the blood drain from her face. Sure, her mother had always talked of what a great match she was sure to make despite her common blood, but that had just been idle talk. Always in the future, always so far away. In her mind, there had still been time. For what? She had never gotten that far. But surely when she was able to gain an introduction and he looked into her eyes, then surely he would feel what she was feeling. For in what kind of world would the gods afflict only one person with a love this intense, this enduring?

"I see I am right," he said gently, for once sounding like the father he had used to be when she was young. "You already hold someone in your heart."

"Father, please!" She knelt at his feet, hair unbound and falling around her. "Don't make me do it. I can't, I love him, I can't bear to be with another. I'd sooner kill myself!"

That last statement brought a smile to his lips. "Even if the man you are to marry is the crown prince himself?"

Her heart stopped in her chest.

"Don't you dare say something like that," she said, voice hoarse and dark. "If you know how I feel, you are every bit the bastard mother says you are to tease me like this."

"My background is unfortunate, I know," he replied, not sounding the least bit repentant or concerned. "However, it is important you remember that your mother was born a princess." Naraku snorted. "I don't see how you could forget. That horrid cunt never ceases to bring it up. If one didn't know better, you'd think that cave in the desert was a palace to rival Inu's."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"It means you, partly human and half-common though you are, are of royal blood. And thanks to that horrible common side, you are also very, very, very rich."

She raised a brow. "And?" Would he just get on with it already? Now she'd have to hunt down that maid and get her to finish the job. Her beauty sleep would suffer and her skin would be in horrible shape tomorrow.

"Inquiries have been made. The emperor and I have come to an agreement."

Kagura could hardly breathe. "Are you saying… Do you mean… Will I…?"

He nodded. "The crown prince has agreed to take you as his wife."

Leaping to her feet, Kagura screamed and jumped up and down, clapping her hands. This was it. The gods were not cruel after all. All her suffering, all her work would now be rewarded. __Sesshomaru__. Her husband. Her beloved. First and last love.

"I will give you three years."

That put an end to her rejoicing. "What?"

"Three years," he said, repeating himself slowly as though she were an imbecile. "Three years to give me a male grandchild. And then we will no longer need the crown prince or the emperor or anyone else." He smiled and she shivered. "Three years and I will rule as regent in your child's stead."

"Father, no!" she gasped, horrified. "Not Sesshomaru. Not him. I don't care about the emperor or anyone else, but don't hurt Sesshomaru! Please." She grabbed his sleeve, twisting the velvet in her worried hands. "I will do whatever you say, just give him to me. Father, please. I want him so badly. I always have."

He stared at her impassively. "Three years. At that time, depending on your performance as the future empress, I will either dispose of him or make sure he can never challenge me."

She nodded. "Anything. I will do anything you say, even slay the emperor himself. Just let me have Sesshomaru."

Smiling, he patted her on the head. "Good. Now get to sleep. They shall announce it formally tomorrow."

That time before her wedding was spent in a blissful haze and she was the happiest she had ever been. When she was anticipating him, imagining him, inventing him, the demon who was to be her husband, she was in a beautiful rose-colored world. Of course, she had brief meetings with him that nearly penetrated that bubble of joy she had built around herself, but when he ignored her when they applied their seals to the marriage contract and when he spoke curtly to her when she tried to engage him in conversation, all she had to do to banish the offense she felt at his actions was to summon that image of the crying boy he had been. Then her pain transformed into pain for him.

Kagura would love him until he was better.

Their marriage was followed by feasting and dances that last an entire week, as was the custom of the Inu. During that time, she could barely catch glimpses of her new husband. While she was chatting with this important noble and dancing with that ambassador, he was secreted away in conference with the emperor and his most trusted advisors, her own father among them. Now that he was married and truly a man, he was permitted to enter into these talks and learn information that had previously been classified.

When the feasting stopped and her maids led her to her husband's palace apartments, she could scarcely breathe and feared she might faint and die before she could even make it to her marriage bed. Was it finally happening? Was Sesshomaru finally hers?

In the glow of candlelight, she saw him standing before the bed on which she would give him the first gift she would offer him.

As the empress' people had instructed her, she got on her knees and bowed before him until her face touched the floor. Her breath came in pants and was hot against her face. Still, he did not tell her to rise. Why was he taking so long? Had she already displeased him?

"Undress me, then yourself." His voice was so cold, but her heart warmed in response.

"Yes, my prince."

It was eagerness to please and not eagerness to have him that made her clumsy in her movements. Normally, she was as graceful as a solemn autumn breeze, but not when she was so close to him, so close to this experience of becoming his wife in more than title. In her haste, she snagged the fine silks of his clothing on her sharp red nails. Kagura flinched and knew before even daring to look at his face that he noticed and he was not going to be so easily forgiving.

He pulled away.

"I-I'm sorry," she stammered. "Let me just－"

"You have done enough." He muttered something in a breath he kept so close not even she could summon it to her ears. Something about "incompetent" and "bad fortune".

Since he had decided to push her away, Kagura decided to draw him to her. Her dress for the evening was fine and as expensive as anything else she owned, brought from the farthest reaches of Inu, but it was designed so as to be easily slipped off. One by one, she slipped off the thin layers. Green to enhance the color of her eyes and make the crimson more striking. Purple now that she was a member of the royal family, a royal bride. White for her purity that she would finally offer up to the only deity in whom her belief had never faltered.

When she stood before him, proud and naked, she had to dig her nails into her palms so she would not tremble.

"What are you waiting for? On the bed. I have other duties this night and I must not tarry longer than necessary."

It was unromantic. It was hurtful. It was Sesshomaru. Because it was him, she would gladly accept it.

"I will mount you once a day until you are with child," he said as he hovered over her. Though the moonlight of his hair came down like a curtain around them, the false intimacy it created was not at all apparent in the business-like tone he effected. "If it is not male, we must try again."

His mention of an heir brought to mind the whole reason behind why her father had arranged this marriage and she had to fight to keep her face blank, as blank as his.

"Wait," she whispered when he attempted to enter her without preparation.

Sesshomaru looked at her, seemingly surprised she still had a voice. That one look told her all she needed to know. This demon was as pure as she was. A strange one. If her own mother had not been from a different land and enforced her ways on her, Kagura would have long shed her virginity as was the way of the Inu. It was almost compulsory that a person be properly knowledgeable in the ways of sex before they married. Her virginity had long made her feel like some kind of freak and she had stressed about it endlessly in the days leading up to her wedding, sick with worry that she would disgust her husband. But he was like her.

This was meant to be.

"Watch me," she said, growing bolder.

Her breasts were the envy of the noble ladies who were stupid enough to gossip where the wind blew their words back to her. Many, many times, Kagura had indulged herself to those jealous words, stroking her ego as she stroked herself. Pinching a nipple that was the same color as her eyes, she moaned softly, biting her lip when she saw her husband momentarily forget himself and widen his eyes at the sight, no longer a stoic statue.

"Touch me," she begged as she showed him what kind of treatment she liked.

Hesitantly, Sesshomaru reached one of his large clawed hands out and ghosted his thumb over her other nipple. Her exaggerated moan was meant to encourage him, but he seemed to detest it, giving her a glare. But he didn't stop touching her, and that was something.

Kagura tossed her head and arched her back, offering both breasts to him. Instinct took over and he lowered his head to suck hungrily, fangs carelessly scraping against her skin and making her flinch in pain. Running her hands over the strong muscles of his back, she urged him on. __Take everything from me__ , she wanted to say. __It's not taking when I give it.__

Rearing back, Sesshomaru impaled her without a warning. Kagura screamed at the sudden intrusion, barely able to catch herself in time and make it sound like a cry of pleasure. It was a good thing she had gotten so wet during the foreplay. She didn't even want to think of the pain that would have wracked her body without even that little amount of preparation. One of his hands was on her hip, claws digging into her skin. The other was on her breast, grabbing at it without care for what she might like. His eyes stared at her chest as it bounced around from his erratic thrusts. Not once did he look up, but he sometimes looked down at where they were joined, his pace picking up whenever he did.

Mercifully, it only lasted a few minutes before he spilled his seed inside her.

Kagura held him as he lay on top of her. Now that it was over, she felt content. This was what she had really wanted. Sex was for men, and __this__ was for women. Heart singing with happiness, she kissed her husband's head, making him a crown out of her affection.

"Stop that," he grunted, pulling away from her. With orderly and precise movements, he cleaned himself off, tossing her the rag he had used as he dressed again. "I will ask for you at the same time tomorrow evening. Hurry back to your rooms, I don't want to find you here when I return."

And then he was gone.

In shock, Kagura robotically set about cleaning herself and tidying the room a little before she put her clothes back on. This was it. She was a wife. The place between her legs throbbed and she wondered if he felt pain too. It didn't seem like it.

There were so many things she wanted to talk to him about, things she had intended to talk to him about after the deed was done and they would have a whispered conversation four hours before they drifted off reluctantly, exhausted as the sun dawned. First and foremost, she had to tell him about her father's plans. However, the way he had acted tonight showed her that now was not the right time.

No. She had to make him love her first. Only when he loved her too much to be angry at her for being her father's daughter would she be able to tell him.

Just remembering that first night of her marriage with Sesshomaru had Kagura wanting to break more dinner plates. That girl, that foolish virgin, was long dead. The moment Sesshomaru brought back the human girl from the forest, she knew he was lost to her forever. Before that, there had been rumors of her nocturnal adventures with other men, specifically Inuyasha, but none of it had been true. Not until then.

"Daughter."

Kagura froze, forcing herself to shrug off the fear that assaulted her the moment she heard that word and felt that voice.

"What are you doing oozing your way around the palace?" she drawled, impatiently tapping her fan against her shoulder.

Naraku smiled at her, his teeth appearing whiter and sharper than they had the last time she'd seen him. She suppressed a shudder.

"How did your lovely family dinner go? Before they kicked you out, I mean."

Clenching her jaw, she didn't know whose throat she wanted to slit more: his or her own.

"I did not want to go. You know that. Are you finally going to tell me why you forced this torture on me?"

"I need her."

Her eyes narrowed. "Who?"

"The girl. She is essential to my plan."

Now that he had confirmed her worst fear, she felt her stomach sink. "No," she protested, knowing it was useless. "Anyone but her, Father. Please!"

Naraku gave her a look that suggested he was disappointed at her still having emotions.

"No one else is as strategically placed. She's perfect."

"You know you have nothing to worry about from me," she said, voice low, not out of concern that they would be overheard, since she knew his magic prevented eavesdropping, but so struck by dread that she could summon nothing more audible. "But Father, my husband is to be feared. His wrath is like no one else's. His revenge will make you regret everything. His power is－"

"Nowhere near enough," he interrupted. "Not even he can go up against what is coming."

"And what's that?" she asked sarcastically. Nothing and no one could go up against Sesshomaru.

"My sources tell me that what I have long sought has, in a twist of events, found its way to me. Even now it is within this very castle."

Kagura's eyes widened and she was scared almost sober. "The jewel?"

He nodded. "Soon, our hard work will see its reward. It will no longer matter that you are barren and could not even fulfill a simple task that merely required parting your thighs." He said it with an old disgust, still angry. "With the girl and the jewel, we will have not only Inu, but the entire world."

 ** **O\o/O****

Kagome opened her eyes to a world of finery she had never even dreamed existed. Maybe that was it. Maybe this was a dream. After all, how was it possible that the very walls be embedded with priceless jewels, the bed made of solid gold, the coverings made of velvet and silk and satin?

Moving to explore her surroundings, she was forced back down before she was even halfway to sitting up.

"Not so fast," a kindly voice said. "You're still very weak."

An old man stood at her bedside and she noticed the case he held. A doctor. Was she sick? What was going on?

"Where am I?" This wasn't the dungeon. It wasn't even her room. A madly attractive thought that all the misfortune she'd experienced had been merely a nightmare entered her head. Was she in Hekigan? Had Hojo saved her?

"The prince's quarters."

Her heart filled with gratitude. Hojo, her prince, had come for her. Higurashi had been besieged by violent dogs and the servants constantly gossiped about the atrocities they committed. Of course she would have nightmares. But he had rescued her and now she was going to fulfill her destiny and be the queen of Hekigan. She was safe. She was taken care of. She was loved.

"You're awake."

The voice sent chills down her spine and she scrambled to get up, to get out, to run. Rough, familiar hands pushed her down and held her there, struggling against the rich cloth that now imprisoned her rather than welcomed her.

"Who told you that you could come here!?" the doctor shouted. "The patient is still－"

"I've waited long enough already!" he shouted back. "She's mine. My slave, my property, __mine__. You're not gonna chase me away again. You get out."

"But she still needs treatment!"

Inuyasha reached out and grabbed the doctor's case, pinning her down again straight away. One knee came up and he lightly placed it on one of her legs. Kagome glared up at him. He had anticipated that she was going to try and kick him again so she could get away.

"Get out," he ordered the doctor again, his eyes remaining on her.

"Your mother will certainly be hearing about this."

And they were alone.

"What did you do to me?" she hissed.

His grip loosened and she realized he was surprised. "The fuck are you talking about?"

Kagome shoved him away and he let her. "Why am I here?" She looked down and saw that she was wearing a nightgown. White. Thin. Translucent. "Did you… Am I…" Her breath quickened in fear. Had he made a whore out of her as she slept?

"I didn't do anything to you." Inuyasha moved until he was sitting beside her. "Stop acting like I'm a fuckin' monster. I'm sick of it." He sighed. "You don't remember? The guards said you made such a racket and pissed them off so bad they stopped coming by to get you to say what I told you. You know… So you could eat."

Now she remembered.

The first couple days weren't so bad. Sure, she was ravenously hungry almost immediately after he had pronounced her sentence, but she received more satisfaction out of denying his will than she would from a meal. When she got bored, she taunted the guards, calling them every single bad word she had ever heard, and there were many slurs against demons in Higurashi. They hadn't liked that. And then when she was ready, there was no one there to hear her. She screamed and she beat at the door but no one came. It was bad, it was so bad that she almost would have taken the dark instead, almost would have wished the dog that called himself a prince was back.

"Where am I?" she asked again.

"My own room." His brows came together. "Thanks for nothing, by the way. I lost some of my best guards 'cause of you."

"They quit?"

He smirked, leaning forward until she had to cross her eyes to look at him.

"They won't be seeing the sun again." She shivered and he pulled away. "You are a very valuable piece of property, y'know. They can't just go around treating my stuff like that. I had to take time out of my schedule to make a public example out of them. It was kinda fun to cut a man down again…" He trailed off, probably noticing how pale she suddenly was.

"Just put me back in the dungeon. I won't do anything anymore."

"Don't tell me you honestly feel bad about what happened to them?" He snorted. "They tried to kill you, Kagome."

"So did you!"

"When the fuck did I do that?"

"Only every single day."

Inuyasha raised a brow and stared at her so long she felt uncomfortable. "You're a drama queen. Your nipples have been showing this entire time, just so you know."

With a shocked cry, Kagome brought the heavy blankets up all the way until they covered her chin. He laughed and it was free and unrestrained and loud. It made her hate him so much more and she felt her face grow warm.

"What's that?" she asked, noticing the box to his side.

He looked away from her and she considered that a small victory in her favor.

"Just something." He shoved the poorly-wrapped box at her.

Hesitantly, Kagome opened it only to be confronted by a bunch of little brown ovals and balls.

"...What is this?" she asked, almost afraid to touch them.

"Seriously?" Some of his confidence returned and she realized he was enjoying her ignorance. "You've never had chocolate? Shit, you don't even know what it is. Fuck, Higurashi really was a hellhole."

Kagome wasn't sure whether the insult to her kingdom or his use of past tense angered her more. Whatever the case, she brushed the box to the ground and rolled over, closing her eyes.

"What the fuck!?" he exploded. It was hard for her not to laugh as she heard his claws scraping against the wooden floor trying to gather up all the ugly lumps. "These were fucking expensive!"

"Do you mind? I'm ill and I need my rest." She intended to say more, but something was forced inside her mouth. Kagome's eyes popped open wide and she made a noise of pleased surprise. Inuyasha was watching her closely and something seemed to change in his expression the longer he looked at her.

"Good, huh?" His voice was low and a little scratchy and his fingers lingered by her lips.

Grabbing for the box, she searched through it, picking out the ones she liked best and deciding the order in which she would eat them.

"The flowers are from me, too."

For the first time, Kagome noticed the bouquets that filled the room. Hundreds and hundreds of flowers. Their colors were too bright and their number was too great and they oppressed her. All over again it was the Inu overwhelming her and her powerless to do anything but be allowed to exist.

It took some effort, but she pushed the delightful box away from her.

"I'm not some kind of peasant you can buy with such paltry gifts!"

He blinked. "You aren't?"

Kagome was a breath away from telling him just what she was going to do to him as soon as she got back to Higurashi and had her own guards to command, but then she remembered how incredibly stupid that would be.

"I mean－I'm just－" She looked down at the blanket and nervously began to unravel the gold fringe on the end. "I'm not some simple farm girl. I spent my whole life in the castle."

"And what was it like there? You never speak about it."

She almost rolled her eyes. When would she have had time to converse with her captor about her former life? While he was whipping her－she shivered just remembering－or while he had her tied up and forced her to watch him couple with another?

Obviously sensing her reluctance, he said, "Okay, we'll cut the shit. Tell me about the queen and where she went and I'll give you all the chocolate you want."

"Let me and my sister go and I'll think about it."

They glared at one another. He broke first.

"Keh. Fine. Whatever." He moved to take the chocolate from her.

Kagome clutched it to her chest. "I could tell you a little about her." That wouldn't be wrong. She would be careful not to give anything away. And maybe it would be nice to talk about it for a little bit. To remember.

He grinned as though he had won some great argument and the sight of his fangs made her doubt her decision. "Fire away." Inuyasha laid himself out on the bed on his side beside her, head resting on a hand.

"She's everything a Higurashi woman should be and everything a Higurashi man could never hope to be," she smiled. "Our Queen is not just an undefeated warrior. There's more to her than breeding and strength and loyalty. She's a genius. Battle tactics, trade, diplomacy. Everything."

"Obviously she wasn't smart enough to keep her kingdom. Or loyal enough to go down with it." He scowled at her. "And I ain't even gonna touch the 'undefeated' part."

"You were the ones who broke the treaty! If it weren't for your sheer numbers then the priestesses would have zapped every single one of you dogs to dust. Our Queen has a plan! All we have to do is trust in her and she will return to us!"

"Great gods, I can't tell if you worship her or you're in love with her," he grumbled. "What the fuck ever. What does the bitch look like? Did she give any hint as to where she would go once the shit hit the fan?"

Kagome turned away, cheeks flaming at his repeated insults. All this talk about the war had made her nearly vibrate with anger.

"I'm not talking to you anymore. Leave me alone."

"It's my room!"

"Then just put me back in the dungeon!"

"You're not going back to the fucking cell!"

Kagome gaped at him in shock. "You mean you're going to keep me here?" Why did that prospect frighten her so much more than being back in the place where she had nearly died?

" _ _You__ ," he said, suddenly looming over her, his alarming nearness making her shrink back against the pillows that she was only just beginning to realize smelled more like him than they did her, "need a firm hand."

To drive the point home, his hand crept beneath the covers and smoothed over her leg, going up and up and up. Only when it was nuzzled between her parted thighs did it come to a stop.

"I'm gonna have to keep an eye on you, difficult one."

Kagome cried out when his claws brushed against her center. Knuckles followed and then he was rubbing against her. She reached out to push him away but ended up only grabbing him by the shoulders. Inuyasha's eyes were fixed on her face and she closed her eyes. It didn't mean anything. She had intended to push him away, but she was sick and weak and this felt nice.

"Wet already," he murmured. "I'm changing the game, Kagome. Less intimidation and more temptation."

"It won't work," she protested even as she moved her hips against his hand. "You won't win."

Inuyasha smirked. "I think I already did."

Abruptly, he removed his touch from her sensitive flesh. Kagome nearly demanded he continue, but bit her lip instead and looked away, unable to take that expectant, knowing look on his face any longer.

"Get out!"

"Are you sure? You don't want me to stay and take care of this?" A finger brushed against her diamond-hard nipple and she jerked towards him, unable to control her reaction even though he wasn't even touching her flesh directly. "I'd kiss you here, Kagome. Over and over until you were lying in a puddle of your own desire. Once I got tired of that, I'd move here…" Slowly, he dragged the finger down her body until it was right on top of where she throbbed for attention. "And I'd kiss you __here__. Lick your clit and suck it until you scream and cum all over my face and the bed. I can tell you're gonna be loud. My screaming princess."

That word seemed to bring her out of the trance his words had put her under and she grabbed his wrist, putting it on his lap so he was covering his offensive erection.

"I need rest." Her voice was hoarse.

With blazing eyes, he paused before he nodded once. Inuyasha walked to the door and left her there without another word.

"Fuck," he cursed quietly to himself as soon as he closed the door.

"What? Did she dump a chamber pot on you again?"

The half-demon rolled his eyes at his shadow. "The little bitch is still putting up a fight. I decided to keep her here for now."

"In your room?" Sango asked with disgust, like he had suggested raising chickens in there or something.

"Just until she gets better. Then I'll find a place for her." Hopefully she'd give in and he could fuck her first.

"You're making this ridiculously hard on yourself."

"I'm not forcing her. And I sure as fuck ain't letting her go. The idiot would piss off the wrong guy and end up dead by the end of an hour."

"That's not what I was suggesting." A sly look in her eyes, she produced a bottle of wine she had been hiding from his sight behind her hiraikotsu.

Inuyasha grinned. "Sango, you're a fuckin' genius.

 ** **O\o/O****

"Miroku!"

Even though it was the middle of the night, Miroku's eyes opened and he was at once alert and on his feet. Living in the taijiya village where his bunkmates would murder him on a whim and the mountainfolk would do the same for a lark made it so he was ready to fight if he heard so much as a rustle of a breeze nearby. In less than a second, his brain translated that the noise he had heard had been his own name, and he immediately knew where he had to go.

No one here even knew his name but Kohaku.

Miroku ran to the hut of the chief. When he neared, his steps slowed. The area of the village proper was forbidden to the eunuchs. But then he heard the boy commander cry out his name again, this time followed by a sob. The lights in the other huts were dark, but that didn't fool him into thinking the villagers were not listening and aware.

He burst into the little house and quickly took in the scene.

Kohaku kneeling on the floor, clutching a small box.

His father, the chief and semi-retired shadow to the emperor himself, standing above his son with a scythe on a chain.

Miroku recognized the weapon as belonging to his young commander. For the first time in his life, he threw himself into action without a thought. Putting his bruised body between the man and boy, he held his arms out to either side of himself and wondered what the fuck he was doing.

The chief sneered. "The fact he called for you was bad enough, but you dare to show yourself here? I should kill you and just be done with it."

"I won't let you hurt him." He was surprised when his voice didn't so much as tremble.

He laughed. "Hurt him?" Shoving him to the ground, he waved the scythe in front of his son's face. "Kohaku, you are a man in the eyes of your tribe. Men do not cower at a simple request."

"I won't do it!" Kohaku said, voice quiet and not sounding nearly as sure as his words.

"The bird is as good as dead already. The kind thing to do would be to put it out of its misery."

"But Otōto doesn't have a mother! There's no one but me to take care of him."

"Enough of this. This is your heritage, this is your life." He forced the handle of the scythe into the boy's hand. "Hurry. The training begins early tomorrow."

Kohaku was full-on crying now, his breath hitching and chest heaving. Slowly, he placed the box on the ground. The scythe rose.

Miroku knocked the weapon out of his hand. "Stop this!" he hissed, horrified when he realized he was addressing the chief and not the boy.

Everything in the room went still.

The former academic grabbed the box and heard a faint peep come from the bundle of torn up rags inside. He got to his feet.

"This is ridiculous. You are his father, not just some violence-prone inbred mountain mistake. If you should show a noble side to anyone, it should be to this boy." His heart was beating so fast and so hard he feared it might stop entirely. "Paternity is more than just blood. Act like a father. Love your son. You think he likes this!?" He gestured at the weapon on the floor. "If the boy had been born in a city, he'd be a prodigy in several areas. The academies would fight to fund his scholarship. But here he's just as much a tool as the scythe you've forced upon him."

Miroku was certain these were his last words. If the man was tired or something, he might even be spared too much torture beforehand. That thought was a little more comforting than it should have been.

The chief merely smiled, lips so tight they looked almost bloodless. His eyes were wide and the light in them made Miroku understand how this unimpressive rather short and stocky man had risen to such heights.

"I seem to remember a joke when the latest batch of recruits arrived. Didn't you want to be assigned to the harem?"

Miroku could only stare, waiting for the hurt to begin.

"I think that's a fine idea," the chief continued. "The prince just threw most of the guards under his employ into the dungeon for some petty reason. I think you'd do a terrible job, and I __know__ my daughter will not tolerate it." His grin showed his teeth, near-green where they met his gums. "Something tells me you won't even last until the dungeon. You'll begin in the morning."

This could not be happening. All his dreams were about to come true. A harem guard __and__ working directly under the beautiful Sango, his leather dream? He tuned out the rest of what the chief had been saying, the song his heart was singing being too loud to hear properly. His excitement was muted a little when he remembered Kohaku.

Something inside told him he would never see the boy again.

"Kohaku," he said gently, kneeling in front of the still crying boy. "Don't worry. And don't be sad. I'll take care of your Otōto. And one day, he's going to be big and strong and fly back to thank you for saving his life."

The boy sniffled. "I… I don't want you to leave, Miroku. You were going to teach me so much more."

"Don't spend too much time crying about it. I'm going to be your brother-in-law someday," he said with a smile, ruffling his hair. "And then you can live with us and we'll have all the time in the world for schooling."

"Get out before I throw you off the mountain myself."

Miroku scurried out with the little sparrow box, head full of thoughts of his future.

Once they were alone, all sound fled from the room and everything was so still that it could have been a painting.

"I have often wished," the chief began, "that Sango had been born a boy. That way, I would have a worthy heir and a semi-acceptable spare in case of the worst. This is not the first time I have wished you had never been born at all, but it is the first time I am completely willing to put an end this oversight of the gods."

Kohaku didn't respond. He didn't even seem to hear. He just stayed huddled on the ground, eyes staring at the doorway since Miroku had left.

The chief left and came back with all the ranking men of the village, some of them only months older than Kohaku was. Two of them grabbed him by the arms and he did not resist, just allowed himself to be dragged. They travel a short way to the forest, and then walked the paths only they knew until they were deep in its center.

"I will go first," his father said, voice grim with disgust. "Follow after me by rank."

The blows at first only made him gasp. One by one, jarring kicks were delivered with precision, with knowledge on how to cause the most pain so that he could live in agony rather than die in agony. Kohaku had put up with a great deal of pain in his training, but this was more than he had been taught to deal with. Soon, he was screaming, sobbing, choking on his own vomit. He called for help, naming everyone he knew. Miroku. Sango. Once, he called for his mother. Any mother. Anyone who was capable of feeling pity. But never once was he delirious enough with pain to beg for mercy from the men who were beating him. He knew better than that.

When he had stopped making noise and didn't much even so much as an involuntary twitch, they finally ceased their laughing blows.

"Kohaku is dead," the chief announced in a tone heavy with ceremony. "We will not speak his name. If my daughter asks after him, we will tell her he was sent away for learning at one of the academies like she wanted."

The men murmured their praise for thinking of every possibility. One by one they left, until Kohaku could only make out the form of his father through his swollen and bloodied eyes.

"It was just a bird," he said, as removed and emotionless as someone giving a stranger directions.

And then he left.

Kohaku was alone in the woods. In and out of consciousness, he wondered how long it had been since his father's discovery of the bird he had named his little brother. It had been almost dawn at that point, but it was pitch black here in the forest. Or was he blind? No, he could see shadows. Shadows curling like fog, forming into one solid thing.

"Drink, Kohaku," the shadow said.

A warm cup was pressed to his mouth and a fragrant tea was poured down his throat. He sputtered at first at the taste, sharp and metallic like blood, but the more he drank the better he felt. Soon, there was no pain. He couldn't even remember why there should be.

"Drink and forget."

 ** **O\o/O****

Inuyasha waited a few days before visiting Kagome again. He told himself he was just making the rounds of the harem, as he had neglected to do since coming back from Higurashi. It was a necessary burden of keeping so many desirable women. If he didn't visit them, they would plot and scheme to make him visit them, and that was just such a fucking headache. Better enjoy them while he could, since he'd soon have a bitch wife that was sure to leverage her family's influence to make sure he at the very least cut it down by half and take no more new women.

Maybe he had avoided seeing Kagome and had drowned himself in the harem women because he didn't know how to talk to her. He could admit that much to himself.

Kagome was different. That had been obvious from the start. Even the most difficult of women had needed only a couple punishments combined with seduction before they gave in. And he liked winning. What he didn't like was having the game take so long that he almost forgot what it was about: his own satisfaction.

All the righteous anger he had worked himself into over the past few days faded away to nothing the minute he opened the door to his room. Kagome was curled up on her side, already asleep for the night even though it was rather early. She was in a fresh white nightgown and there was some color in her cheeks. A large candle burned bright on his nightstand. Creeping quietly to the bed, he internally chastised himself for feeling like a guilty intruder in his own bedroom.

"Hey," he said gruffly, shoving her.

She snorted awake and the moment was broken completely. "What!?" she yelled, looking up at him with sleepy and increasingly pissed off eyes. "You again? Come back tomorrow. I'm tired."

"I brought you something."

Immediately, she perked up. "Chocolate?"

He shook his head. "Something to drink. You'll like it. It's sweet."

Kagome held out her hand for the present and he smirked at her. Her eyes were on the bottle, pretty and pink and gold, as he uncorked it with his claws. He poured her wine into a glass far too large for the drink until it was full. This was the strongest wine on the market, served mainly at orgiastic ceremonies or parties. A few sips would get her right where he wanted her. Nice and warm and compliant.

He watched her rather than drink any himself, though he did serve himself a glass so she wouldn't be suspicious, which she honestly should have been. But all Kagome did was grab for the cup as soon as it was full, taking huge gulps of it.

"Oh, it's like spiced honey! And fruit… What fruit is this?"

He shrugged, having hardly heard the question. Instead, he watched her. Kagome took another sip and put the cup down on the nightstand.

"It's hot," she said, taking the covers off herself. "Do you feel hot?"

Inuyasha stared at how her cheeks were becoming rosy and his eyes went to her almost transparent nightgown. Soon he'd have that pure garment ripped right off of her soft, warm body and those blush-pink nipples would be in his mouth.

Kagome laughed and pushed him so hard he nearly fell off the bed. "You look like an idiot staring at me like that." For whatever reason, the shocked expression on his face made her laugh more and soon she was sprawled out on her back, giggling.

Fuck, maybe he had given her a little too much.

Determined to make the best of it, Inuyasha crawled over her, unable to keep a small smile off his face. Kagome's eyes were a shining blue and for once she wasn't looking at him like he was the devil himself.

"You're really pretty when you smile," he said. "Even if you're crazy."

She pouted. "Keep being nice to me and I'll give you more smiles. Be nice to me in the morning, when I wake up. Not just when I'm alseep and dreaming."

"I'll be nice to you," he promised. "As nice as can be…"

Lowering his head, he started to kiss her throat. From here, it was just a short path to those breasts he'd been wanting to play with for what felt like forever. When she gasped, he knew he was just minutes away from being inside her.

But then she started touching his ears.

"I like these," she said, very matter of fact.

"Uh, thanks."

Inuyasha was so shocked that he stopped kissing her. Was she being honest? Of course she was. This girl was too dumb to be anything but. For a human to like his inhuman features was…incredibly unusual. Even Sango had only ever ignored them, thinking she was doing what he wanted and treating him like he was "normal". But at the end of the day, he was just like anyone else. There was a part of him that wanted someone to not only notice his ears and his slit-pupils and his claws but to not be repulsed by them or to fetishize them. Just like them. Just like she did.

"Your eyes are like dandelions," she sighed. "I love dandelions. They're my favorite flower."

Before he even knew what he was doing, he was smiling at her pronunciation. Dandy-lion. "They're a weed."

Kagome ignored his insult to her favorite "flower" and gently tugged on the ears she continued to caress.

"I always wanted a puppy," she confided. Her lips formed into a pout again and suddenly her innocent touches to his ears were having a very noticeable effect on his body. "But the general would never let me have one."

That gave him some pause. What would the ruler of a kingdom, even a tiny dump like Higurashi, care if some random maid got a dog?

A thought occurred to him and everything inside him froze. Suddenly, things were making a lot more sense. How ignorant she was of the outside world, even simple things any peasant should know. How different she was from her sister even in appearance. Her bratty nonsense that a normal maid would never dare exhibit.

Kagome was the general's daughter.

He almost laughed out loud at the discovery. Were they trying to keep it a secret? How long did they think they could pull that off? Inuyasha grinned. The ruler of Higurashi's bastard daughter-by-the-wayside was pinned underneath him.

Kagome giggled, oblivious to his discovery, and her face flushed a deeper pink.

"So cute," she whispered.

And then she kissed him.

It was a chaste kiss. A sweet kiss. An affectionate kiss. A childish kiss. Hell, it didn't even rank as a real kiss and missed his mouth almost entirely. But Inuyasha had never been kissed like that before.

In a panic, he realized his face was turning as pink as hers was, and he didn't even have the excuse of the wine. Scrambling off of her, he stood at the foot of the bed.

"You're dangerous," he said, but he didn't think she heard him.

A slight snore proved him right and he realized she had drifted off. With a sigh, he tugged her back into a proper position underneath the covers and tucked her in. This girl was the most dangerous he'd encountered so far. He'd have to treat her like fire and be cautious, or else she would certainly flare too hot and consume him, burning herself into his very bones.

Inuyasha could only hope she hadn't already done just that.

 ** **Note: So this took a WHILE. Sorry, everyone. I work full-time and also have another part-time job and other stuff so finding time to write can be difficult. Thanks for reading! TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK BECAUSE I LIVE FOR THAT.****

 ** **Also the biggest shout out in the world to Heartrush, whose notes on this chapter were everything. Check out her fics, they are AMAZING and I've read Knit and Lace like 50 times. And her Mythos stuff? PERFECTION.****

 ** **Also thanks to maridraws for creating this lovely piece of art for this story. I commissioned it from her and it was done super fast and super beautifully and I adore it.****


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